Interior Approves Feasibility Reports on Three Reclamation Developments

News Release: United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, "Interior Approves Feasability Reports on Three Reclamation Developments in Western Colorado", March 16, 1966, page 2The West Divide Project plan includes three storage reservoirs on tributaries of the Colorado River: Placita, Haystack, and Yank Creek. A system of canals and laterals would deliver water to the water users. Construction costs of the West Divide development are estimated at $99,800,000. Cost allocations are: irrigation, $68,328,400; municipal and industrial water, $28,140,200; recreation, $1,738,000; fish and wildlife enhancement, $1,278,100; and flood control, $315,300. Economic studies demonstrate that the project has a favorable 1.98 to 1 ratio of benefits over cost. The San Miguel Project, in Montrose and San Miguel counties, would regulate flows of the San Miguel River for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation, and flood control. Principal storage feature of the San Miguel development would be Saltado Reservoir on the San Miguel River. Water would be diverted from the outlet works at Saltado Dam to project water users through a series of canals, two subsidiary reservoirs, and a lateral system. Construction costs of the San Miguel Project are estimated at $67,815,000. Cost allocations are: irrigation, $51,020,000; municipal and industrial supplies, $11,415,000; recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement, $4,198,000; and flood control, $1,182,000. The project has been found economically feasible, and has a favorable benefit-cost ratic of 1.52 to 1. On all three projects the costs allocated to irrigation would be reimbursable without interest, part of the costs to be repaid by the irrigation water users and ad valorem tax revenues, and the balance to be returned from revenues of the Colorado River Storage Project apportioned to the State of Colorado. The costs allocated to municipal and industrial supplies, plus interest during construction, would be reimbursed with interest. The flood control costs would be nonreimbursable, as would part of the costs allocated to recreation and the enhancement of fish and wildlife resources. A portion of the recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement costs on the San Miguel and Dallas Creek projects would be reimbursable with interest, under provisions of the Federal Water Project Recreation Act of 1965. All reimbursable costs are to be repaid within related 50-year periods. Development of the three projects would result in average annual depletions of Colorado River flows in the following volumes: West Divide, 76,400 acre-feet; San Miguel, 85,000 acre-feet; and Dallas Creek, 37,000 acre-feet. These depletions would be within the apportionment of water for consumptive use made to Colorado by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact. XXX P.N. 76759-66 2Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,047,211 byte