WSP04949 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

e It)1W, gt1t~ 7? ~JECT 7 is a unique cooperative effort among seven water entities to provide high quality "ifo'm~stic water to towns and rural areas of the Uncompahgre River Valley. During the summerof 1973, the City of Montrose was experiencing shortages of water treatment capacity during peak usage days, Tri-County Water Conservancy District, which relied on the City of Montrose for water treatment, also faced water shortages, At the same time, Olathe and Delta were faced with out- dated treatment facilities, These common problems initiated the formation of Project 7 - among three cities and towns (Montrose, Delta, and Olathe), two water companies (Menoken and Chipeta), and a water conservancy district (Tri-County Water Conservancy District), The Uncom- pahgre Valley Water Users Association joined as the seventh entity because they controlled the Gunnison Tunnel providing a large percentage of the total raw water to the other entities, Under the "community facilities" program of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), a $14-million grant/loan was awarded to Project 7, The combination Included a $5,4 million grant and $8,6 million loan at 5% interest -- the largest FmHA financed project in the State of Colorado, Thefun- ding was used to purChase the present water treatment plant from the City of Montrose; in- crease the capacity of that faCility to 25-milllon gallons per day (GPO); and lay transmission pipeline from Montrose to Delta, PROJECT 7 IS A REALITY BECAUSE OF THE AVAILABILITY OF WATER THROUGH THE GUN- NISON TUNNEL AND BECAUSE IT COMPLEMENTS THE DALLAS CREEK WATER STORAGE PRO- JECT, 1904-1909 Gunnison Tunnel 1979-1984 Dallas Creek Project 1979-1980 Project 7 Three important water projects that make a difference in the quality of life in the Uncompahgre Valley, ~, ~UNNISON TUNNEL C;'~ 9)ALLAS CREEK PROJECT 1~ The Uncom pahgre Valley receives most of its annual moisture during the heavy Spring run-off of the Uncompahgre River. Each Spring, this run-off leaves the valley, enters the Colorado River and flows through Arizona and Califor- nia to empty into Mexico. However, the Un- compahgre Valley lacks a dependable and consistant water supply throughout the rest of the year. The Dallas Creek Project was designed to capture and hold run-off waters to stabilize supplies for distribution and use by local residents for irrigation, municipt:ll and industrial purposes. The Project, which has been in the planning stages for more than 20 years, will include Ridgway Dam and Reservoir to be located on the Uncom- pahgre River between Colona and Ridgway south of Montrose. The dam will provide a lake of 1,000 surtace acres, containing 80,' 000 acre feet of water storage. The Bureau of Reclamation let bids on the first phase of construction on the dam this Fall with ac- tual construction thiS Spring, 1980. The Bureau estimates that construction will be com pleted and the reservoir filled by 1984, Although the Un- compahgre River could not furnish enough water to Irrigate even a small portion of Its arid valley, the Gunnison Riverflowed abun. dantly just a few miles away. To utilize this source of water for the valley, the GunnIson Tunnel was designed to bring water from the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon walls into the Uncompahgre Valley. It was built with the combined resources of local support, state aid for exploration, and the federal Reclamation Act of 1902. The six- mile tunnel was started in 1904, and "holed through" five years later. It was the first Bureau of Reclamation project in the United States. About 500 men were employed at anyone time: but in spite of good pay and fringe benefits, the average stay for a worker was only two weeks because of such dif- ficulties as: drilling into clay, sand. shale and a badly fractured fault zone; concen- trations of combustible or poisonous gas- ses; and large underground streams that shot 40-footjets of water into the tunnel. The Gunnison Tunnel is capable of furnishing 1.000 cubic feet of water per second. and has turned the Uncompahgre Valley into a productive farming area. In 1972, the Gun- nison Tunnel was acclaimed by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Histone Civil Engllleef!ng Land- mark.