WSP07728

• File Number: 8270.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Water Quality/Salinity -- Misc Water Quality
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 2/1/1986
• Title: Planning Report Concluding the Study on Glenwood-Dotsero Springs Unit - Colorado - February 1986
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

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Project, In addition, the Secretary was authorized and directed to ex-
pedite completion of planning reports on 12 other units, incIlIdin~ the
Glenwood-Dotsero Springs Unit, Public Law 96-375 of October 1QaO author-
ized feasibility-level investigations for the Glenwood-Ootsero Sprin~s
Unit and several other units. Public Law 98-569 of October 1984 amended
Title II of the Salinity Control Act. The amendl'lents included authori-
zation of two additional units for construction, new cost sharin~ guide-
lines for those units, and measures to replace incidental fish and wild-
life measures foregone.

The Clean Water Act, as amended, sets forth a public policy of non-
degradation for water quality including effluent discharge standards.
In response to this policy and related Federal and State program enforce-
ment guidelines, the Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program
(CRWQIP) has the specific objective of identifying and evaluating con-
trol measures that would prevent salinity concentrations from exceeding
1972 levels in the lower main stem of the river.

General Description of the Area

The Glenwood-Dotsero Springs Unit area consist.. of hoth rural and
urban areas in EAgle, Garfield, and Mesa Counties. The 1980 populations
of these counties were 12,707, 32,483, and 81,482. respectively.

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Physical features vary considerably throus:!;hout the unit ~reA. The
areg is generally mountainous with long valleys and deep canyons cArved
tbrou~hout by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Glenwood Canyon
occupies the eastern part of the unit area, extendin~ from the community
of Dotsero to the town of Glenwood Springs. A lon~, narrow valley com-
prises the central part of the unit area. The town of Rifle is locat~rl
near the center of this narrow valley, with the small communities of
Silt and New Castle located to the east and Parachute and DeBeque to the
west, The Grand Valley occupies the western pArt of the unit area and
includes the city of Grand Junction. Smaller communities in the valley
include Mack, Loma, and Fruita to the west of Grand Junction and Clifton
,lod Pill1sade to the east. The Grand Valley is connected with the lon~,
narrow valley to the east by DeBeque Canyon (see Fronti!'ipiece Hap).

Elevations range
line to 6,150 feet at
to about 1 \,000 feet.

from about
Oot!'iero,

4,500 feet near the Colorado-Utah
The adjacent mountains range frofTI

State
8,000

Glenwood and DeBeque Canyons are formt'd in granite, quartz, lime-
stone, and sandstone. The valleys are p;enerally eroded in soft beds of
mudstone, shale, and siltstone.

The climate of the unit area is semiarid in the east and arid in
the west. Average annudl precipitation ranges from 18 inches in Glen-
wood Springs to about 8.4 inches at Grand Junction,

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lnterstate Highway 70 (I-70) and U.S. Hi~hway 6 extenrl east and
...est through the unit area. Part of {-70 throuF;h Glenwood and DeBeque

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