WSP06677

• File Number: 8220.112
• Description: Dallas Creek Participating Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 3/1/1975
• Title: News Articles / Press Releases
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

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Montrose Daily Press-Monday, July 2l, 1975

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JUL 2 ~ .1975
. COLO. WATEI/
COIfSfllVAfJOfi BOARD

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State asked to OK BuRec-Tri County suggestions

jects Office, Bureau of Reclama-
tion, Grand Junction, said that
"on May 1 the bureau was given
the responsibility of finding a
new use fOI' the 24,000 acre.feet
that was originally allocated to
Kemmerer Coal in the Dallas
Creek Project.
"The meeting with the Tri.
County, district'Qn- Wednesday
the 16th was to report to them
what our- investigations so far
had determine", and the
meeting on the 21st with all of us
is to do the same with l1arris
Sherman's bunch," Rickel said.
"We're hoping...to have
everybody there on the decision-
making process on it, J' he said.
"We're hopeful that thcy will
agree (with the Tri.County
recommendations.-) ..
He noted that the bureau will
need help of the state in connec-
tion with thC" rccrention and
fishing aspects of the project.
Project reformulation work in
the Grand Junction officp should
he complcted by November, he
stated.

marginal economic justification
of service to these lands.
- "We are hopeful that an in.
creased dead or inactive storage
pool for recreation and ad-
ditionallish flows in the Uncom-
pahgre River can be justified so
that the lull plannned capaCity of
125,000 acre.feet at Ridgway
Reservoir can be justified."
The Denver meeting was
scbeduled today at 11: 30 a.m., in
the Columbine Building offices
of the Colorado Water Conserva.
tion Board, Westesen stated.
Those in attendance were ex.
pected to' Include state water
board representatives, Harris
Sherman, director of the Divi-
sion of Natural Resources; Tri-
County representatives in-
cluding Westesen; Bureau of
Reclamation representatives;
representatives for the Division
of Wildlife; and representatives
of the Division of Parks, he
stated.
J.R. Rinckel, chief, planning
division, Western Colorado Pro-

recommends that a water
allocation of at least 13,000 acre.
feet he made available from the
Dallas Creek Project for use on
supplemental service lands on
the existing Uncompahgre Pro-
ject and;:tn additional amount up
to a total of 24,000 acre-feet be
considered if justification can he
made.
-"The district board
recogniies the importance of
recreation as a purpose of the
project, and because this pur~
pose may he diminished by mov.
ing to Cow Creek or a lower axis
and also to avoid any further
delay of the project construc.
tion, we recommend that the up-
per or Alkali axis be selected for
tbe Ridgway Reservoir.
-"The district board
recommends that st!rvice to
potential new lands.on the west
side of the Uncompahgre Pro.
ject by the Dallas Creek Project
be eliminated from considera-
tion bcctlusc of the percentage of
public ownership and the

Recommendations agreed to
by the board of directors of the
Tri-County Water Conservancy
District and the Bureau of
Reclamation call for allocation
of at least 13,000 acre.feetand up
to 24,000 of Dallas Creek Project
water annually to the Uncom-
pahgre Valley W'lter Users
Assn., aceordliii( ito"'Harblil
Westesen, president of the dis.
trict's board of directors.
The recommendations were
scheduled to he discussed with
state officials in Denver this
morning, Westesen stated.
The project is in the process of
reformulation, after objections
from Colorado Gov. Richard
, Lamm resulted in removal of an
annual 24,000 acre-foot alloca.
tion to the Kemmerer Coal Co.
Westesen indicated that the
bureau presented alternatives to
the districCs bO<lrd at n n1l'cting
in Gr3nd Junction Wednesday,
and that the board discussed and
agreed on the following
recommendations:
-"1'he district board