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World War II put a halt to expansion of the Denver water system. However, as soon as men and materials again became available, work got under way on the Blue River Diversion Project. First proposed before World War I and initially surveyed in the early 1920's, this ambitious project consisted of bringing water more than 80 miles to Denver from the Blue River on the Western Slope, In 1946, Water Department forces began construction ,.<<... .:,"".. ~ !",~ . / ... and then into the Denver water system, One year later, Ralston Reservoir was constructed north of Golden to provide regulatory storage for the new water supply. ~ -,." . . ". '.r')~'::}', . on the major portion of the project-a 23.3 mile tunnel under the Continental Divide-that when completed would rank as the world's longest major ,underground tunnel. ~. ~J Construction of Gross Reservoir was begun on South Boulder Creek in the early 1950's, and completed in 1955 to greatly increase storage of water brought through Moffat Tunnel. This reservoir did much to help Denver through the drouth of the middle 1950's. r ~,. , .., " -J/ Later in the 1950's, water resources of the Williams Fork River were extensively developed, The Williams Fork collection system, which had been acquired earlier along with the A. P. Gumlick Tunnel from the City of Denver, was extended and improved and the Vasquez Tunnel constructed to carry water from upper portions of the river into the Fraser River Diversion System for delivery to Denver through the Moffat Tunnnel. Further down on the Williams Fork River near its confluence with the Colorado River, a new and greatly enlarged Williams Fork Dam was completed in 1959. The purpose of Williams Fork Reservoir is to provide exchange water to replace that elsewhere diverted from senior rights downstream on the Colorado. (Continued page 10) One of the siphons in the Fraser River Diversion Project. D07JJ 7