WSP07779

• File Number: 8449.918
• Description: South Platte Projects
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 1/1/1981
• Author: CWCB
• Title: South Platte River Basin Assessment Summary Version 1
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

Introduction

The South Platte River Basin Assess-
ment is a study designed to identify,
investigate and evaluate alternative
means by which the State of Colorado
can beneficially use additional waters
of the South Platte River basin to
which it is entitled. The study is a
reconnaissance-level assessment
which is based upon existing data,
technical reports and other readily
available information, (All information
contained in this summary document
has been taken from the interim
report which was prepared by Wood.
ward-Clyde Consultants and its sub-
contractors,) The interim report is a-
vailable upon request from the Colo-
rado Water Conservation Board,

Alternatives

The categories of generalized alterna-
tives which were analyzed include: (a)
changes in the utilization and maTlage-
ment of existing facilities; (b) storage
upstream from Chatfield Reservoir,
but downstream from the town of
South Platte; (e) storage in foothill
canyon tributaries which enter the
mainstem South Platte River down-
stream (that is, north) from Chatfield

2

Reservoir; (d) off-channel storage of
mainstem flows; (e) storage, on tribu.
taries downstream from Greeley, of
the flows of those tributaries; ('f) main-
stem storage downstream from the
town of Greeley; (g) conjunctive use of
streamflow and alluvial ground water.
including artificial recharge; (h )
combinations of the above; and (i )
possible export of undeveloped
streamflows of the South Platte River
basin to the Republican River basin,

Evaluating Criteria

The evaluation of alternative water
resources development plans was
made by selecting monetary and non-
monetary criteria with which to mea-
sure environmental, economic and
other related impacts of the alterna.
tives under consideration. These
criteria include net economic benefits.
total direct investment costs, internal
rate of return, flood control, water
quality, fish and wildlife, and net
energy changes, (For some alterna-
tives, the data were unavailable to
make an evaluation based on each of

the criteria.) The source of the criteria
for this investigation was the staff of
the Colorado Water Conservation
Board in consultation with Woodward-
Clyde Consultants,

Geographic Scope

The geographic scope of the South
Platte River Basin Assessment in-
cludes the natural drainage basin of
the South Platte River in Colorado,
The study is limited to that part of the
basin downstream from the conflu-
ence of the North Fork of the South
Platte River and the mainstem of the
South Platte River, For purposes of
hydrologic analyses, the upstream
point of the study area of the stream
system was taken as the South Platte
River at the town of South Platte, and
the downstream point of the study
area was taken as the South Platte
River at the town of Julesburg, Part of
the Republican River basin which is
located within the State of Colorado
east and south of the South Platte
River basin has been included in the
study, for the analysis of the Alterna-
tives 13a and 13b,