RBC I The Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District held a public meeting Dec. 2 to discuss the feasibility study for a new water storage facility within Rio Blanco County along the White River.
With approximately 25 people in attendance, Steve Jameson of WW Wheeler, the water engineering company contracted by the conservancy district, informed the audience about several key points in the study including potential dam locations, impacts and benefits, and costs.
Throughout the meeting, the key issue raised repeatedly by the public centered on the reported sedimentation of Kenney Reservoir and the likelihood of this issue repeating in a new reservoir.
Jameson began the presentation with an explanation of why a new water storage facility is needed.
“The district is facing a water crisis,” Jameson said.
The new dam was presented for multipurpose use, citing municipal and domestic water use, energy development, recreation, environmental (assisting endangered fish species), irrigation, Colorado River Compact Storage and potential trans-basin diversions as key benefits.
A large focus of the potential need is water storage. Jameson stated that “half of Kenney Reservoir is silted in, which will eliminate Rangely’s water storage.” He estimated that Kenney has another 15 years of useful life before it is entirely filled with sediment and, he said, the water district should be proactive to continue having water storage available.
Asked why Kenney Reservoir couldn’t be dredged or expanded, Jameson explained that the high cost makes that option impractical. In addition, there are currently what Jameson felt would be classified as jurisdictional wetlands surrounding portions of the reservoir, which would make getting the needed permits impossible.
Jameson was then asked if the Taylor Draw Dam at Kenney Reservoir should just be removed once the reservoir is gone, to which he responded in the negative. He said that the hydroelectric power could still function with a few slight modifications even after the reservoir is completely silted in.
He also said that the process of removing a dam is often more expensive than building a new one and may cause new environmental impacts. Another benefit of the dam, he pointed out, is its ability to prevent ice blocks and flooding from affecting Rangely during the winter months.
In order to ensure that long-term needs for water storage will be met, the feasibility study is planned out through the year 2065 for estimated water needs. This led to the decision that a reservoir of 90,000 acre feet in size would best.
After looking at several locations, the team decided on an off-channel location at Wolf Creek, which has an expected dam height of 268 feet and an approximate potential surface area of 18,549 acres with a potential volume of 1,496,812 acre feet and a minimum depth of 50 feet. The off-channel location would mean that water would need to be pumped out of the White River approximately 1/2-mile to reach the reservoir.
There would also be a channel to run water out from the dam into the river.
One of the benefits cited for this type of off-channel dam would be the prevention of the heavy sedimentation Kenney Reservoir has experienced. Because the water is being pumped instead of flowing directly into the reservoir, there will not be the high levels of sediment giving the reservoir a longer life span than Kenney.
Once in place, the reservoir would take between four and five years to fill to capacity, depending on water levels each year. The current plan does not include a hydroelectric dam, but one could be added.
Jameson said the Wolf Creek location has fewer environmental impacts than other potential sites, as there are no wetlands in the area.
However, Kent Walter, the BLM White River field office manager in Meeker, stated that he didn’t feel that Jameson was fully disclosing all environmental impacts. According to Walter, the dam could also potentially impact salinity, black-footed ferrets, wave action on shorelines, grazing, big game hunting and sage grouse. He did say, however, that he thinks “everything is probably mitigatable.”
The meeting was the first time that either the conservancy district or its contracted engineers have been willing to publicly share potential cost.
Jameson said the total estimated cost for the Wolf Creek Reservoir is $127.7 million with an average annual operation and maintenance cost of $640,000. He said it is also estimated that Rio Blanco County could see an average annual tax revenue of $144,832.
In order to fund this project, Jameson suggested that the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District move forward with developing firm funding partners, which could potentially come from federal, state or oil and gas sources.
The project still has a long way to go before it is fully realized.
In addition to locating the funding, there will need to be a detailed survey and geological investigation performed as well as the numerous permits and applications.
Before the project will be able to move forward, a fish and wildlife biological survey will need to be completed, which is expected to take at least a couple more years.
WW Wheeler and associates is currently requesting feedback and comments from local residents regarding their thoughts, ideas and concerns regarding the project. Comments can be sent to Danielle.Hannes@ wwwheeler.com or by calling 303-761-4130.
