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<br />OO()~58 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />.'-;,.. .,. <br /> <br />COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD <br />102 Columbine Building <br />1845 Sherman Street <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br /> <br />March 12, 1973 <br /> <br />CLOSED BASIN PROJECT <br /> <br />The Closed Basin project lies in south central Colorado in the <br />San Luis Valley. The project is bounded on the east and north by the <br />Sangre de Cristo mountain range and on the west and south by the Rio <br />Grande River. The project was authorized by the Congress in 1972. The <br />Rio Grande Water Conservation District was created by an act of the legis- <br />lature in 1967 and is acting as the sponsoring agency for the project. <br />The district includes the counties of Alamosa, Conejos and Rio Grande and <br />parts of Mineral and Saguache counties. The project is also being sup- <br />ported by the Conejos Water Conservancy District, the San Luis Valley <br />Water Conservancy District and the Rio Grande Water Users Association. <br /> <br />Plan of Development <br /> <br />The project would salvage unconfined ground water and available <br />surface flows in the Closed Basin now being lost through evaporation. The <br />salvage water would be delivered through a conveyance channel to the Rio <br />Grande River below Alamosa. <br /> <br />The present plan contemplates salvaging about 100,800 acre-feet <br />of water annually, of which about 85,600 acre-feet would be pumped ground <br />water and 15,200 acre-feet would be surface water. The project would be <br />constructed in successive stages and would include a main conveyance <br />channel about 39 miles long beginning where Saguache Creek crosses State <br />Highway 17, thence southeast along the west side of San Luis Lake and <br />south of the confluence of the Rio Grande with La Jara Creek. Outlets <br />would be provided at the lower end of the main channel to provide water <br />for the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge. About 129 shallow wells would <br />be constructed and pumped to salvage the waters now being evaporated in <br />the lower end of the Closed Basin. <br /> <br />The Mishak National Wildlife Refuge would be established as a <br />part of the project and additional water would be provided for the existing <br />Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge. Recreational facilities would be pro- <br />vided at San Luis Lake and at the proposed Mishak National Wildlife Refuge. <br />