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<br /> <br />Ute Water may be forced <br />to replace diverted flows. <br />forfishre~overy program <br /> <br />~...~ Gl J^ <br />(;1.(\ "t'L:\::""~ 'i' ~ . " <br />Heather McGregor l'\) ~ ~'j 319'<" . "The bureau is ma~ing us com- <br />Dally Sentinel . 2- pensate them monetarIly for water <br />Water bills for customers of the the Ute Water Con- we feel we're entitled to histori- <br />servancy District may have to rise to pay for more cally/' said Charlie .Stockton, Ute's <br />water for endangered fish in the Colorado River. assistant manager. <br />U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials say if Ute Ute has tapped the tailrace <br />wants to continue taking clean Grand Mesa water since the 1950s. when the hureau <br />from the tailrace. of the Lower Molina power plant. it built the Coil bran Project to 1'1'0- <br />will have to buy other water for the fish recovery vide irrigation water in the Pla- <br />program. teau Creek basin and generate hydroelectricity at the <br />No one is certain whether another deal on the two Molina power plants. <br />table - for Ute to buy the Molina power plant system Ute pays the bureau $1,600 a year. a bargain in <br />from the bureau - would generate enough hydro. anyone's hook. But Ute's 40-year contract for use of <br />power revenues to cover the cost of buying morc the diversion structure on the tailrace expires in <br />water for the fisb.. 2002. And Ute is using water that is stored in reser-. <br />The bureau is seeking water from many of the .voirs owned by the federal government. . <br />major diverters in the Grand Valley to increase flows The bureau has filed .for a new water-storage right <br />for the fish in the 15-mile reach of the Colorado River that would allow it to use Vega Reservoir water for <br />west of Palisade: The Molina tailrace would make a fish. Ute has objected to the filing in state water <br />significant contribution, said Brent Uilenberg, plan- court..,J .'_ .. , <br />ning coordinator for the bureau. The lawsuit has .becn put on hold while the two <br />. But Ute depends on the tailrace - the streamflow parties discuss the proposed settlement. <br />at the bottom of the plant dam - for about 7,000 acre- If Ute doesn't Provide other water, the bureau <br />feet nfwater ~ year, which is 80 percent of its supply, could use its new right to ask the state water engi- <br />said Mark Hermundstad, Ute's water lawyer. And the .neer to shut off Ute's pipeline in the late summer <br />tailrace water is far eleaner. and therefore less months of a drought year. <br />expensive. to tteat, than Plateau Creek, where Ute "That's a very harsh measure," said Uilenberg, <br />holds other water rights.. who doesn't want to see that happen. He hopes Ute <br />Recognizing. that, the bureau :has suggested that will agree to buy water for the fish, to make up for the <br />Ute huy about 2.000 acre-feet from other sources to water it removes from the river. <br />be released for the fish in dry years. That could cost At the same time, Ute is exploring the idea of buy- <br />from $40,000 to $160,000, based on present rates at ing the Molina power plant system. <br />Ruedi an([-Creeu Mountain reservoirs. Uilenberg said selling the. hydropower project to <br /> <br />~fif~ <br /> <br />,:i,.'.; ,:.~:::-~';;d;~;-;::;!,/:~';.;:} .',": ", . <br /> <br />Ute makes a lot of sense. <br />"The tailrace water is an integral part of Ute's <br />water supply. they could operate'the power plants at <br />a lower cost than the federal. government, and it <br />could be a real money-maker forJhem:' Uilenberg <br />said ,'."; ".~l'~ ,'.. '.:.7"ll~ ";: :', <br />F~eed from federal hydropo';lit;l)fi~ing .restric- <br />tions, ute could double the power revenues earned at <br />the Molina plants, he said. <br />Also under discussion is the possibility of Ute join- <br />inK with the Collbran Water Conservancy District to <br />buy Vega Reservoir and the Southside Canal as well, <br />securing much of the basin's water storage in local <br />hands;. . ' <br />Hermundstad said a consulting e~onomist has <br />been hired to check out the i~~,!dt's.,;lso been <br />pitched to U.S. Sens. H;ank BrowJ!.,and Ben Campbell <br />and 3rd.District'Congressman ScoltM;clnnis, all Colo- <br />rado Republicans, since the 'putCjiase:-W.~~ld require <br />Congressional action. ... ,f. : .,... <br />"The power plants could fin~nce the purchase," <br />Hermundstad said. although no 'one.knows.what the <br />price. tag wo'uldbe. The plants~arry $20 million in <br />debt, Stockton said. <br /> <br />~~cY <br />P <br /> <br />cq <br />