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('1") c.o o C\l PROJECT PLAN The Yellow Jacket Project is planned largely to provide water for indus- trial, municipal, and domestic use in connection with anticipated devel- opment of local coal and oil shale reserves. It would increase irriga- tion supplies for production of livestock feed and also would benefit recreation, fish and wildlife, and flood control. Three storage reservoirs would be constructed as part of the project. Two would be in the White River National Forest in the White River Basin, including Ripple Reservoir on the North Fork of White River and Lost Park Reservoir on Lost Creek, a North Fork tributary. Flows at the Lost Park site would be augmented by flows diverted by feeder canal from tributar- ies of the South Fork of Williams Fork in the Yampa River Basin. The third reservoir would be Thornburgh Reservoir on Milk Creek in the Yampa River Basin. Ripple and Lost Park Reservoirs wuld be coordinated in operation but Thornburgh Reservoir would be an independent unit. Reservoir releases along with available direct flows ~uld be diverted from stream channels below the reservoirs. In the White River Basin the water would be diverted from the North Fork by the Yellow Jacket Canal and distributed by that canal and its branch, the Josephine Basin Canal. In the Yampa River Basin most of the water would be diverted from Milk Creek by the Milk Creek Canal and distributed by that canal and its branch, the lIes Lateral. Some project water also would be diverted from Milk Creek by existing canals. In addition to flows from main streams, the project water supply would include some return flows from irrigation and some water made available through more beneficial use of existing irrigation diversions fran minor tributary streams. Drains would be con- structed ,as necessary on irrigated lands. All of the industrial, munici- pal, and domestic water would be made available to the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District in the main project canals for sale to the water users. The water users would be responsible for providing terminal storage and facilities for treatment and distribution of the water. At the three project reservoirs specific recreational facilities would be constructed and minimum pools prOVided for fish. The existing Axial Reservoir on Milk Creek would be stabilized for fishing and its active capacity transferred to Thornburgh Reservoir. At Axial Reservoir rights would be acquired and facilities constructed for fishermen. Flows for fish would be maintained in Lost Creek and the North Fork. To mitigate losses to big game caused by the project, project funds would be used for land acquisition and for habitat improvement on the acquired lands and public domain lands. Fences, crossings, and escape routes would be constructed in project canals for protection of big game. ALTERNATIVES Several alternatives are presently under preliminary study to eliminate as much of the project's environmental opposition as possible. Signi- ficant portion of these alternatives include an evaluation of: enhancing the stream fishery on the White River by providing increased stable "