From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):
Beaver Creek Reservoir, which sits roughly five miles south of South Fork, currently can store only half its capacity of 4,400 acre-feet. The development of a sinkhole last year forced the reservoir to be drained down.
The district owns the 52,000-acre-foot reservoir that sits on the Rio Grande, roughly 20 miles southwest of Creede. Built in 1914, the Rio Grande Reservoir is in need of a spillway enhancement, a new outlet tunnel and a fix for seepage problems — repairs that are estimated to cost between $16 million and $23 million. “That’s a tall order,” said Travis Smith, the district’s superintendent…
A key aspect of this proposal is that the DOW is looking at partnering on the reservoir repairs so it can store up to 5,000 acre-feet at Rio Grande Reservoir. That amount of storage in the Rio Grande’s only on-channel reservoir could give the DOW more flexibility in how it moves both water from the basin and transmountain water, said Tom Spezze, a DOW regional director. The DOW, which is the largest holder of water rights in the valley, uses the water to enhance habitat for fish, waterfowl and other wildlife and to increase hunting and fishing opportunities. The repairs also would benefit agriculture because the irrigation district delivers water to roughly 60,000 acres of farm ground in the north-central part of the valley.
More Rio Grand River basin coverage here.
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