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<br />Our experience has proven that intelligent men working together can
<br />reconcile conflicting interests and permit the attainment of maximum benefits
<br />for all without the necessity of legal action.
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<br />
<br />POWER PROBLEMS IN THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN
<br />
<br />Lesher S. Wing, Regional Engineer
<br />San Francisco Regional Office, Federal Power Commission
<br />
<br />Power problems of the Colorado River .Basin include: development of
<br />the hydroelectric resources in proper sequence, to match population and in-
<br />dustrial growth; combining fuel and hydro resources so as to obtain lower
<br />power costs; holding transmission costs down by installing peaking units at
<br />power sites having low incremental capacity costs; taking into account effects
<br />of new projects upon operation of existing plants; evaluating effects of trans-
<br />basin diversions upon water supply and quality; evaluating evaporation losses
<br />and effects of sedimentation at reservoir sites; and planning in advance of
<br />power demands.
<br />
<br />Although Colorado River ranks 23rd in average annual flow among rivers
<br />of the United States it ranks 6th in power potential. When totally developed,
<br />its installations will total about 7,000,000 kilowatts, 4,200,000 in the Lower
<br />Basin and 2,800,000 in the Upper, with total ultimate generation of about 36
<br />billion kilowatt-hours annually. Approximately 1,560,000 kilowatts have been
<br />developed, mostly at the Hoover, Parker, and Davis plants, leaving about
<br />5,440,000 kilowatts undeveloped, divided almost equally between the Upper
<br />and Lower Basins.
<br />
<br />The market area for the Colorado River plants includes not only the
<br />Basin itself, but adjacent areas. Economic activities and industrial develop-
<br />ments in the Basin at present are relatively minor, and prospective load re-
<br />quirements for. many years in the future are much less than the potential out-
<br />put of the ~iver's hydro plants. Preliminary studies by the Federal Power
<br />Commission indicate that the major markets outside the Basin would be in the
<br />coastal areas of southern California and the Salt Lake City area. The 1951
<br />load in the entire market area (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona,
<br />western Colorado, Utah, southwestern Wyoming, and southeastern Idaho) will be
<br />about 4,300,000 kilowatts, of which 3,900,000 is in the Lower Basin market
<br />area. It is estimated that by 1970 power requirements of the Lower Basin
<br />market area will be about 7,600,000 kilowatts, and of the Upper Basin market
<br />area about 1,000,000 kilowatts. After utilizing the existing supply and the
<br />potential output of all presently scheduled installations, about 4,300,000
<br />kilowatts of additional power will be needed in the Lower Basin and about
<br />600,000 kilowatts in the Upper Basin.
<br />
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<br />
<br />Comparatively minor problems involve opportunities for power pro-
<br />duction at potential irrigation and flood-control projects in the Basin.
<br />During the past year, we investigated the Silt and Smith Fork irrigation
<br />projects in the Upper Basin. Investigations did not indicate that power
<br />generation was feasible. For the Paonia Project, Colorado, we are investi-
<br />gating a reservoir proposed by the Bureau of Reclamation, and a larger one
<br />which would flood the site of the reservoir now proposed.
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