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BENEFITS IRRIGATION Water developed by the project will be available .for 61,728 acres and will benefit the area's economy by increasing agricultural production and strengthening service-related enterprises dependent on agriculture. Main crops will be alfalfa, pinto beans, wheat, pasture, barley, oats, and corn silage for livestock feed. MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER The municipal and industrial water supply of 8,700 acre-feet permit a moderate but healthy future growth in the area. RECREATION AND FISH AND WILDLIFE Water releases from McPhee Reservoir have created a stream fishery below the dam. In addition, releases from the reservoir in anticipation of spring runoff will be managed to benefit white-water boaters. The project reservoirs and facilities will provide new recreation opportunities for the public. Land acquired and managed for wildlife conservation will create valuable and unthreatened habitat for a variety of wildlife species. FLOOD CONTROL McPhee Dam will provide flood protection for downstream landowners. POWER GENERATION The average annual energy production of the McPhee Dam and Towaoc Canal Powerplants will be in excess of that needed by the project. Rather than draining the nation's energy resources, the Dolores Project will generate environmentally clean power which will help to alleviate the problems caused by dwindling fossil fuel supplies. CULTURAL RESOURCES The Four Corners Region, which includes southwestern Colorado, is rich in the Indian ruins and sites of the Anasazi ("Old Ones"). The University of Colorado, working under contract for the Bureau of Reclamation, located 1,389 sites in the area of the Dolores Project. One hundred twenty-seven sites have been investigated through full or partial excavation by the University of Colorado. The sites vary in extent from surface indications, including rock chips, pottery, and pithouses, to the remains of pueblos and other structures such as kivas. The sites represent occupation of the area from 2000 B.C. until historic times. There are 125 sites of historic period from about A.D. 1870 to 1950, including the towns of Big Bend and McPhee. These sites all have been determined eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places as the Anasazi Archaeological District. The archaeological remains recovered from the excavations will be displayed at the Anasazi Heritage Center located at the Escalante Ruins three miles west of the town of Dolores. 5