HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Board - Minutes - 09/07/1966• September 7, 1966
• MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE WATER BOARD Held
September 7, 1966, at 9:00 o'clock A.M., in the Council
Chambers.
Present: President Ward Fischer, Vice -President
Frank Ghent, Board Member Dugan Wilkinson, Norm Evans, Owen
Moore and Fred Feit. Also present were City Manager Tom
Coffey and Administrative Assistant John Baudek. The
following representatives from the City of Greeley, The Water
Supnly and Storage Co., and Wright Water Engineers were
present: Ben Cruse, Dave Gottlieb, D. Wykert, E. Viden,
Dave Hergert, 0. Shaffer and Ken Wright.
The meeting was opened by Mr. Ken Wright giving a
review of the study of water storage facilities on Rockwell
• Ranch. He stated storage was not as great as first anticipated
due to lack of good topography and recommended the consideration
of the Poverty Flats sight. He reviewed the E.C.I. report of
1960, compiled for the then City Manager Guy Palmes.
Hydrological study on the South Fork showed enough water to
justify a dam to store in the vicinity of 20,000 acre feet
of water, plus good exchange possibilities. Aerial photos
were shown, the summary of water was discussed, also to main-
tain a flow of fresh water to conserve fish life. A 150
foot dam at either Rockwell Ranch or Poverty Flats would
store approximately the same amount of water (15,000 A.F),
it would be cheaper to build a dam at Poverty Flats. It
was estimated a study of Poverty Flats area would be from
• $4,000.00 to $10,000.00, depending a great deal on the amount
of drilling required. Estimated cost of storage construction
at Rockwell Ranch to be $260.00 per acre foot, while cost in
ptember 7, 1966
• Poverty Flats would be about $200.00. The question was
raised, would this construction interfere with the plans the
Federal Bureau has for Poudre Canyon. After discussion, it
was agreed this work would not interfere in any way with
Bureau Projects. Of the 111 million dollars proposed for
Poudre Canyon, 23 million would go for 120,000 Acre Feet
reservoir at Idlewild and 34 million for 200,000 Acre foot
storage at Gray Mountain. It was the consensus of all present
that the Rockwell Dam study is not feasible and that the Board
members look into the Poverty Flats for storage.
The following recommendation was presented for
the September 8th Council meeting:
The Honorable, the Mavor and
• Council Members of the City of Fort Collins, Colorado
Gentlemen:
The Water Board of the City of Fort Collins, together
with represe,tatives of the Water Supply and Storage Company
and the City of Greeley, Colorado, have met with Mr. Kenneth
Wright, for the purpose of receiving a preliminary report on
the proposed Rockwell Dam.
This meeting was called at the suggestion of Mr.
Wright after very preliminary studies have been made for the
purpose of discussing whether or not further studies were
desirable. You will recall that engineering work had been
authorized by the City of Fort Oolll ns to be done in coopera-
tion with the Water Supply and Storage Company and the City of
Greeley.
As you may further recall, the Rockwell Dam site
appeared extremely attractive based upon studies done several
,years ago. Mr. Wright, however, reported that based upon new
topographical maps and other data not considered in the earlier
studies, the Rockwell Dam would provide storage of only about
14,000 acre feet as compared to previous estimates of not
excess of 32,000 acre feet. As a result, and based upon the
same construction costs as existed in 1960, the cost per acre
• foot of storage would be in the neighborhood of W O.00, as
opposed to previous estimates of approximately $125.00.
0eptember 7, 1966
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•
Based upon these studies, it was the consensus of the
three groups in attendance at the meeting that further work on
the Rockwell Dam site should not be completed, and that studies
should be terminated without further expense. This is the
recommendation of the Water Board.
It should be mentioned that pursuant to Mr. Wright's
suggestion some consideration is being given to a study on the
Poverty Flats site, located about a mile below the Rockwell site
on the South Fork. This appears to be a much more feasible
site at first glance. No recommendation at this time in regard
to a study on the Poverty Flats site is being made by the Water
Board, pending a further study and conferences with the other
two interested bodies.
Engineers:
Respectfully submitted,
Water Board of the City of Fort
Collins
/s/ Ward H. Fi-scher, President
These summaries were presented by Wright Water
SUMMARY - ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL QUANTITIES
OF WATER STORABLE IN ROCK'JELL RESERVOIR
SOUTH FORK, CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER
Virgin Flow, South Fork Water Storable
Year Cache LaPoudre above in Rockwell Re -
Rockwell Res. servoir based
upon Historic
Surplus on Cache
la Poudre
1000 AF 1000 AF
Water Storable
in Rockwell Res-
ervoir based upon
Exchange Potential
of Big T Water
1000 AF
1950
38.4
0
10.5
1951
58.0
0
33.6
1952
56.0
8.0
35.3
1953
37.1
0
14.7
1954
23.5
0
5.8
1955
31.0
0
12.0
1956
44.8
0
21.8
1957
70.9
32.4
47.7
1958
50.4
32.3
25.3
1959
37.6
5.7
17.5
1960
37.3
2.2
16.5
1961
52.7
27.9
32.9
1962
47.2
17.1
20.6
1963
30.7
0
8.4
196�
331.9
O
10.5
196
61.1
23.7
41.2
•
So ember 7, 1966
16-7ear average 44.3
9.3 22.1
1. Column 1, "Virgin flow, South Fork Cache la Poudre above Rockwell
Reservoir." These figures in thousands of acre feet represent the
annual production of water int h. basinof the South Fork Cache La
Poudre above the dam site.
2. Column 2, "Water Storable in Rockwell Reservoir based upon
Historic Surplus on Cache la Poudre." The quantity of water
storable under a new storage right on the South Fork. Increas-
ed storage by Commanche and Hourglass Reservoirs up to their
decreed capacities has been taken into account. Al:t. other
decreed rights, both direct flow and storage, in Water District
3, are assumed to d'vert as they have in the past. Filings
for new water rights such as Idylewilde Reservoir have not
been t aken into account. The figures have been reduced to
maintain minimum fish flow below the dam of 5 cfs September
15-June 1, and 20 cfs June 1-September 15.
3. Column 3, "Water Storable in Rockwell Reservoir based upon
Exchange Potential of Big T 'dater." These figures are the inflow
to Rockwell. Reservoir (after deducting fish flow releases
and storage by Comanche and Hourglass Reservoirs) during the
nortion of each month that flows at the mouth of the Cache la
Poudre Canyon exceeded 400 cfs. The actual number of NCWCO
units that would be available for exchange in any given month •
or ,year has not been considered here.
4. Foreign water imported to the Poudre basin could also be
exchanged to Rockwell Reservoir. The exchange potential of
imnorts is limited by (1) the quantity of water imported and
(2) inflow to Rockwell Reservoir less fish flow and the
quantity of Big T water being exchanged into Rockwell at the
same time. The period of high flows on the South Fork Cache
la Poudre tends to be earlier than for imported water.
There being nothing further to be discussed, the
Board adjourned.
Secretary ,
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