A map from the U.S. Forest Service environmental analysis for the reservoir enlargement details some of plan's elements.
March 9 public hearing set on project to enhance local water storage; FS study showed no significant impacts
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY — The county commissioners will review a key local water project next week during a public hearing on the enlargement of Old Dillon Reservoir.
The plan to expand water storage from 62 to 286 acre feet represents one of the biggest projects in the local area this year, both in terms of the construction footprint and by the significant investment of taxpayer dollars. At last estimate, the price tag for the enlargement was about $6.4 million, to be split between local towns and the county.
The March 9 public hearing is a chance for local residents to make comments and ask questions about the enlargement. The BOCC meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. in the county courthouse in Breckenridge.
The purpose of the hearing is to approve a minor 1041 permit under county powers to review impacts of water projects. Local 1041 powers come from a 1974 Colorado state law allowing local governments to “designate certain geographic areas and specified activities as matters of state interest.”
The enlargement is a vital part of ensuring locally controlled water supplies, especially for the Town of Dillon, which relies heavily on surface flows from Straight Creek. The stream is vulnerable to pollution threats from I-70. During the 2002 drought, Straight Creek flowed at perilously low levels, sending Dillon officials scrambling to develop a backup water plan that included direct diversions from Dillon Reservoir, as well as water-sharing with Silverthorne.
The project includes the following elements:
1) enlarging the existing reservoir from 62 to 286 AF of storage capacity by raising the north and south dams;
2) restoring the outlet from Old Dillon Reservoir to the south to Dillon Reservoir);
3) reconstructing the headgate on Salt Lick Gulch and piping the entire length of the Dillon Ditch to serve the enlarged reservoir;
4) rehabilitating the outlet to Salt Lick Gulch;
5) temporary road access improvements;
6) burying overhead lines around Old Dillon Reservoir; and
7) wetland creation for project mitigation.
According to a U.S Forest Service study, the enlarged reservoir and dams would permanently impact 10.1 acres of forest and meadow, but there would be no net impact to recreational uses in the area, according to Paul Semmer, land specialist with the Dillon Ranger District. The enlargement would decrease total diversions from the Salt Lick Gulch drainage from 573 acre feet to 450 acre feet.
The reservoir and dams would permanently impact 10.1 acres of forest and meadow habitat in the project area, according to the draft study. About 20 acres of wetlands would be affected by the reservoir enlargement, but the impacts would be addressed by adding new wetland on the southwest shorelines of the reservoir.
Visit the White River National Forest web site to see all the documents on the project. The environmental analysis is posted at the end of this story in a Scribd.com window.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27827688/Old-Dillon-Reservoir-Enlargement
