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~l : tfock'j Mown/Olr1 $.";s iZ/if./J'z.. Water trade plan urged for 3 cities ."',J ~ By DUANE THOMPSON Sp<<la!~...rw... VAIL - A Colorado river district is urging the state's three largest cities and three Western Slope counties to build reservoirs and trade certain water resources to thwart future shortages. Officials witb the Colorado River Water Conservation District hope their plan will lead to talks among Summit, Grand aDd Eagle counties and Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora to solve their water problems. Under the river district's proposal, Colorado Springs and Aurora's Homestake II diversion in Eagle County would be significantly altered, along with the Denver Water Board's plans for a Gore Canal collection system in Grand and Summit counties. The Homestake and Gore Canal projects are opposed by environmentalists and Western Slope communities. "We're in the finaJ stages of a total package that the whole Western Slope can live with," said Chris Jouflas, river district board member. Under that plan - which has to be reviewed by the river district board - Colorado Springs would take over water diversions now spUt by Aurora ana Colorado Springs in the Homestake Reservoir. Aurora's water, in turn, would come from the Iron Mountain Reservoir, to be built near the town of Red Cliff. Water would be pumped from Iron Mountain over Vail Pass to Dillon Reservoir. From there it would be trans- I ported through the Roberts Tunnel to Aurora. There would also be the possibility of diverting OWB water lrom a tributary 01 the Upper Eagle River. also located near Red Cliff, through the same pump system to Dillon. I TO GAIN SUPPORT lor the plan lrom Summit County officials, a 12,OOG-acre-foot reservoir on Swan Creek would be built south 01 Breckenridge to ensure that area's future needs. More importantly, the river district bopes to queU some of the opposition in Summit and Grand counties to a proposed 19-mile pipeline by the Vail water district to pump water from Green Mountain Reservoir to Dillon Reservoir. Instead, the district would consider supporting eHorts to build Wolford Mountain Reservoir near Kremmling to help replace diversions from the Blue and Colorado riv- ers. Also in the plan is a proposal to reduce the amount of water tbe Denver Water Board plans to divert througb its Gore Collection System. The river district's plan includes fewer streams in that collection system whicb would then flow directly into Dillon Reservoir. The river district would also like to build a 230,000- acre-foot reservoir near Wolcott to meet the needs of diversions on the Colorado River. Still to be worked out in the overall plan are many important and unanswered questions about cost and scheduled completion dates of the projects. It also is unclear who would pay for the new reservoirs and pipelines. - I ."1 TlUNK THAT ev_erybody's scrambling to come up .....Ith something," said Dale Shaffer, Denver Water Board member. "I'm tickled to death to hear someone is worting to get this going." Aurora City Manager Robert Broom said both Aurora I and Colorado Springs require a strict timetable for future water .needs, and that a pumping operation over Vail Pass col,lld mcrease the cost of the Homestake n diversion "Just those pumping costs literaUy scare us to dealb " Broom said. . While Vail Mayor Rod Slifer said h~ welcomes a review of the proposal, he said UJere's considerable opposition in the ~ to ,a large reservoir near Red Cliff. The distrIct s plan is the second water trade proposal to surface from the W~tem Slope ~ year. Another plan p~oposed bY,the Vall water distnct also involved swap. p.~g reservOlrs and water among the lhree Front Range I Cities and Western slope communities. . I