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<br />3912
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<br />FRYINGPAN-ARKA.J."VSA5 PROJECT, COLORADO
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<br />Jor the shuring of joint wat.er oblig,'tions of the lonr States, The
<br />upper Colomdo River {.',ompact. was signed October 11. 1948, subse-
<br />quent.ly l'at.ified by the uppe" hasin St.at.es and npproved by t.he Con-
<br />gress. Full cOllsununo.t,iol1 of t.hc apportioned llseS of Colorado River
<br />water in the upper basin St.ntes.. consistent with the rights and obliga-
<br />tions of the camp/lets and I.he :i\fesicn.n Trenty of 1945, would require
<br />cOl1st.ructioll of major regulatory reservoirs in the upper basin.
<br />41. lVe.stern slope feat.'lHc.s.-A syst.em consist.ing of about 50 miles
<br />of eanals llnd tunnel:; 'would ena.ble the coHee-tion of wat.er fronl Hunter
<br />Creek and the Fryingp"" Ri"er-bot.h t,ributBries of t.he Ronring
<br />Fork River. The {\'uLcr so collected would he diverted to the eastern
<br />slope through the potent.illl Fryingpun-Al'knnsns Tunnel, about 6 miles
<br />ill longt,h. Sillce 19:35, t.he Twin Lakes Rosen'oir & CBnal Co, hus
<br />diverted western slope water from t.llC ROllring Fork drainage to its
<br />reservoir on the castern slope. The c-ompnny hus 0. legnl right to
<br />divert. lllorc water thall it has diverted to dnte; hut snch increased
<br />diversions would be dl~t,rimentfll to fishcr,\' \'llllleS in the Roaring Fork
<br />Rh'er und its trihutm'ies abo\'c Aspen. In order to preserve t.hose
<br />fishery vnllles t.he projcet. plun ineludcs I1n extension of the collect,ion
<br />system to the Sout,h Fork of Hunter Creek find enlnrgelllent of other
<br />projeet facilities to permit Ull exelUlngc of wntcr with the, Twin Lukes
<br />Co. This plan hinges upon the ext-'eutioll of agreements whereby the
<br />comp1LTlY wou\(\ reirain irom ce.rt,uin lli\'er~'lOlls t,hrough it.s own s.\~stem
<br />whenever the natural flow of the ROllring' Fork River ftllls below a
<br />speeified minimum in cxclwnge for an c4uirulent supply ueliver('d on
<br />the eo stern slope through projt~d fncilil,if's. The cost of these specific
<br />facilities nnd enhugcmcnts is estimllted I1t $2,179,000 llnd is considered
<br />economiclllly just.iFiable by t.he Fish and \Vildlife Serviee on the basis
<br />of result.ing benefit,s.
<br />42. The Aspt'1l Reservoir would be constructetl near the town or
<br />Aspen to pl'Oyidc replnC('Illcnt. \\'lltcr find also to provide water for
<br />fut.ure lISl', in meeting demands in west.ern Colomrlo. The reservoir,
<br />which would inundate nbollt (j50 naes fmd hu\'e an llctivc cupacity of
<br />28,000 acre-feet., would he created by nn earth-fill dum about 90 feet
<br />in hr,igLt. .A short supply eiLllnl would divert water from Hunter
<br />Creek to t.he l'esen'oir.
<br />43. Tlle Aspen Dam site is at Hn nlt.it.ude of 8,Ot7 feet.. The
<br />collection syst,em fol' t.lw t.rnnslllOuntllin di\"t~rsion would be ent.irely
<br />Bbove 10,000 feet alt.itude. The chief const.ruction problems will be
<br />the short working: season und tnlll!?-,portfition of ma.tcl'ials.
<br />L~. .44. .The w€'st.etJl .slope felLt,lIrcs would enable tl~e fivenlg'c t1JUll1ll1
<br />" UIY(>r~lOn of an est.JlI1fLt,cd 69,200 acr('-fe(~t, of pro]eet ~"'nt,I~r. As fL
<br />result. of ~ast.(~rn slope storage 1.0 he proyi</t'd hy tlw;I)J'oject., nhout
<br />]4,9(10 acre-feet, of wnt,cr could nlso be di\Tcl'ted ullIlUu.l{tlJY t.he Twin
<br />Li\ke~ Co., whit'll c&U.1ot, now he divert.ed fol' laek of stol'uge'cnlHte't.y.
<br />This would be in _it.iell' t,o its present. aycmgc diversion of :38,000
<br />fl.('re-feet..
<br />45. Eaiife/'ll slnJlp. sllpply and pnwer ({n~8.-In ronnd figures, t.he
<br />major P9tel~t,inll~nstern slope pl'ojeet '" include t,hrec- cn,rt,ll-fill
<br />ial iJtJO nlltes of P?Wer.enlllll rnnging . ,~~Y fro.1ll :3qO to 1.000
<br />s ... r~fcet" t,hrl'c dIverSIOn dum,;, oyer' . Si. of dlV(:I'SlOl1 canals,
<br />. "hydro-electric power plants and swit ~ ,Us,, t.lll'ce smull forc~
<br />11 ~ :uH.f!.two llft,cl'bays, nine substat.ions, a. O'llt,' 400 miles of truns-
<br />nll'Hsion line, find n municipal water slIpply system. The lutter system
<br />indud.es one diversion dam, 15 Tr}iles of r~se'('voir supply C-fiIllll for irri-
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