<br />4
<br />
<br />5
<br />
<br />'.0
<br />
<br />portat,ions bav~ been used in the upper basin ubove t.he Narrows area.
<br />The lower baSin has benefited (rom t.he use of return flows. j\.fosl
<br />oC tbe return flows have been used by Tlleans of ground water witb-
<br />drawnh, le~\'ing surface flows in the river about the ~ame 8.S pre-
<br />Colorado-BIg Thompson comlit.ions, The J66,370 acres of land that
<br />,,,:0 uld. obt.ain supplemental iITigation waLer are in Morgan, Logan,
<br />Wasbmgton, and Serlgwick Counties, along t.be main stem of the lower
<br />South Platte River in 110rtheasterl1 Col<imdo, All of the land is now
<br />or has in tbe past been irrigated.
<br />The South Platte River is the only silrnificant source of surface
<br />wate~ for irrigation in the proposed N arrov.""S unit. Ground water also
<br />constItutes n major SOllrce of water in tbe basin. Thirty-three irriga.tion
<br />systems now serve lands ,\'ithin tbe Narrows area. Four offstream
<br />reservoir:3 serve about 10 to 12 or the dit.ch aystems. None of t.he
<br />reservoirs have sufficient ca.pacity to assure adequate su:pplies for the
<br />systems served. The r~maining ditch s:.yst.ems rely on dlI'ect stream-
<br />flows fo~ the.ir major SOllf(~e of suPp.!y: Water shortages occur every
<br />Y~B.r, prlmarJly beea.use st.orage facilities are lacking on BOIDe of the
<br />dltch systems,
<br />The principal feature of tbe proposed development is the N arro"s
<br />Dam and Reservoir to be constrllcted on the South Pla.tte River near
<br />Fort MOI:g8:n, Colo. Aho proposed is ~be.acgu~ition and development
<br />of the eXlStmg Jackson Lake ReservolI', U1cludmg Borne rehabilitation
<br />of tbe dam, for recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement, Federal
<br />construction of irrigation disLribution facilities would Dot be involved
<br />since the water developed by the unit would be conveyed hy existing
<br />systems. Hydroelectric power development was found to be economi-
<br />caUy: i,nfeasible., Lack .of any forp.se"abJe requirement for additional
<br />mUDlclpal and mdustnal water precludes the need for !;ucb facilities
<br />at tbis time.
<br />
<br />The wat.er supply tor t.he Na.rro\\"S unit would be derived from
<br />regul~tion or S~LTr]us 6treamflow and from direct How water right~
<br />assoClated WIth JrrJgaLed lands to he acquired for the proposed Narrows
<br />Dam and Reservoir. Irrigation storage capacity in Jackson Lake
<br />Res~r\Toir would be transferred to tbe proposed -N arrov.'S Reservoir.
<br />Project water stored in the propoged Narrows Reservoir would be
<br />released either into the South Platte River through n. river outlet
<br />works for delivery to existing dO\\11stream diversion works or through
<br />a canal outlet works directly into the Fort Morgan Canal.
<br />Supplemental water requirements for 23 of the ditches which serve
<br />98.4 percent of the irrigahle land in the Lower South PJat.te Wat,e,.
<br />Conservallcy District would be 178,000 acre-reet at. tbe river headgo.te
<br />~as~d on the 1947-61 period of study. Reservoir operation studies
<br />mdlcate that ~verage annual supplemental yields of 119,400 acre-reet
<br />would be obtamed unuer the proposed plan of development. In addi-
<br />tlOD, t.be divertible return flow from project deliveries would average
<br />21,300 aere-feet, These sources would yield a total or 140,700 acre-feet
<br />of supplemental water at the river headgates. The difference of 37,300
<br />acre-feet annually represents diversion shortages, which occur in 3 of
<br />the 15 years of study,
<br />The BlITeau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife has formulated a pIa"
<br />for conservation and development of the fish and \dJdlife resources. It
<br />would include ~inimum flow of 50 cubic feet per second in nnd public
<br />aceese to 5,5 miles of the South Platte River immediately below the
<br />
<br />proposed Narrows Reservoir, rehabilitation and stabilized operation
<br />of t,he existing Jackson Lake Reservoir, development of a wildlife
<br />manageJ?lent area, and a zOning plan for tbe proposed Narrows
<br />ReservolI' .
<br />The National Park Service has recommended a recreation plan that
<br />would include four puhlic Use areas, Two of tbe areas would Oe
<br />located adjacent to tbe proposed reservoir shoreline and would
<br />function at all pool levels, a tbird area would be located below the
<br />proposed dam and reservoir, and hhe fourt.h would be at Jaekson Lake
<br />Reservoir. The Bureau (If Outdoor Recreation finds that the recreation
<br />development recommended is consistent with the objectives of the
<br />Colorado outdoor recrea.tjon plan.
<br />The Corps of Engineers evaluated the flood control req,uirements
<br />for t.he unit. It recornroended the provision of reserVOIr storage
<br />capacity of 550,000 acre-feet lor downstream flood protection. or
<br />that capacity, 75,000 acre-feet would be used jointly for flood control
<br />and water conservation purposes. The dam would bave a river outlet
<br />cB.[lacit..r ot 8,600 cubic feet per see-ond and a spillway capacity of
<br />27,600 cubic feet per second, Operation of the reservoir for flood
<br />control would be in accordance with regulations prescribed \'y the
<br />Secretary of the Army,
<br />In its preliminary report, Lhe Public Health Secvice indicated
<br />that a high degree of waste treatment and a minimum st.rea.mflow
<br />of 25 cubIC feet per second are needed below the proposed Narrows
<br />Reservoir to ohtain the deaired water quulity, Normal re.~ervoir
<br />seepage, tributary in110~"5, and return flows would provide more
<br />than the desired flows, The Federal Water PoUution Control Admin-
<br />istration (FWPCA) recommends that the operating procedw:es for
<br />the unit provide for maintenance of that streamilo,,- buL finds Lhat.
<br />the water would be usable for ot.her purposes rather than wa.ter
<br />quality control as discussed later in this report in connection with
<br />the alternative plan, As recommended hy the Public Health Service,
<br />every effort v.ill be made in cooperation with the affected interests
<br />to assure that development a..u.d a.cth"ities on the unit. wiJ1minimize
<br />anv pot.ential public health hazards,
<br />The Bureau of Mines advised that petroleum and natural gas are the
<br />only significant mineral resources present in tbe dam and reservoiI'
<br />area. A small field has shown a steady decline in production sinc.e
<br />1956, In October 1965 only 34 of 108 welb that had been drilled
<br />within the reservoir area at tbe flood control pool elevation were
<br />still prod\lcin~. Considering a construction perIOd of 9 years, the
<br />Bureau of Mrnes anticipate:s tbat all oil Rod gas wells in tbe site
<br />will have been abandoned,
<br />N; presented in the attached regional director's report, the estimated
<br />Lota! construction cost of the Narrows Unit would be $61,820,000,
<br />based on October 1965 price levels, Interest during construction
<br />would add $4,918,600 making the total investment cost $66,738,600,
<br />Opera.tion, maintena.nce, a.nd replacement. costs would total $216..500
<br />annually. The annual costs f>f the unit for economic analysis, wbich
<br />includes the annual equivalent or tbe net project investment and
<br />annual opera.tion, maintenance, and replacement costs, have been
<br />computed to he $2,275,200,
<br />The evalllated annual benefits to be derived by the several fUnctions
<br />are as follows: .
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