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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 n �J • 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 , l