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~. ~ .-.. r... ..JV II (J Report of the Regional Director . Western Slope features . 41. A system consisting of about 50 miles of canals and tunnels would enable the collection of water from Hunt- er Creek and the Fryingpan River--both tributaries of the Roaring Fork River. The water so collected would be di- verted to the Eastern Slope through the pOtential Fryingpan- Arkansas Tunnel, about six miles in length. Since 1935, the Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company has diverted Western Slope water from the Roaring Fork drainage to its reservoir on the Eastern Slope, The Company has a legal right to di- vert more water than it has diverted to date; but such in- creased diversions would be detrimental to fishery values in the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries above Aspen, In order to preserve those fishery values the project plan includes an extension of the collection system to the South Fork of Hunter Crecl[ and enlargement of other project fa- cilities to permit an exchange of water with the Twin Lakes Company, This plan hinees upon the execution of agreements whereby the company would refrain from certain diversions through its own system whenever the natural flow of the Roarine Fork River falls below a specified minimum in ex- change for an equivalent supply delivered on the Eastern Slope ~~rough project facilities, The cost of these specif- ic facilities and enlargements is estimated at $2,179,000 and is considered economically justifiable by the Fish and Wildlife Service on the basis of resulting benefits, 42, The Aspen Reservoir would be constructed near the town of Aspen to provide replacement water and also to provide water for future use in meeting demands in West- ern Colorado. The reservoir, which would inundate about 650 acres and have an active capacity of 28,000 acre-feet, would be created by an earth-fill dam about 90 feet in height, A short supply canal would divert water from Hunt- er Creek to the reservoir. 43, The Aspen Damsite is at an altitude of 8,017 feeto The collection system for the transmountain diver- sion would be entirely above 10,000 feet altitude, The chief construction problems will be the short working sea- son and transportation of materials, . R 14