Windy Gap Firming Project Water Resources Technical Report

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Windy Gap Firming Project Water Resources Technical Report Windy Gap Firming Project Water Resources Technical Report U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Great Plains Region December 2007 Water Resources Technical Report Windy Gap Firming Project prepared by ERO Resources Corporation 1842 Clarkson Street Denver, Colorado 80218 and Boyle Engineering Corporation 215 Union Blvd., Suite 500 Lakewood, Colorado 80228 Acronyms and Abbreviations AF acre-feet BESTSM Boyle Engineering Stream Simulation Model C-BT Colorado-Big Thompson Project CDSS Colorado Decision Support System cfs cubic feet per sect CRWCD Colorado River Water Conservation District CWCB Colorado Water Conservation Board DW Denver Water EIS Environmental Impact Statement EOM end-of-month HUP Historic User’s Pool MPWCD Middle Park Water Conservancy District Non-Participants Windy Gap unit holders not participating in the Firming Project NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NCWCD Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District PACSM Platte and Colorado Simulations Model Participants Windy Gap Firming Project Participants Reclamation U.S. Bureau of Reclamation SEO State Engineer’s Office USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey WCFC Willow Creek Feeder Canal WGFP Windy Gap Firming Project WWTP Wastewater treatment plant Alternatives Alternative 1 — No Action, Enlarge Ralph Price Reservoir Alternative 2 — Proposed Action, Chimney Hollow Reservoir with Prepositioning Alternative 3 — Chimney Hollow Reservoir and Jasper East Reservoir Alternative 4 — Chimney Hollow Reservoir and Rockwell/Mueller Creek Reservoir Alternative 5 — Dry Creek Reservoir and Rockwell/Mueller Creek Reservoir CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................1 2.0 Alternatives.................................................................................................................1 3.0 Study Area ..................................................................................................................3 4.0 Methods.......................................................................................................................8 4.1. Existing Data Sources and Review....................................................................8 4.2. Data Analysis .....................................................................................................8 4.2.1. Model Description .................................................................................9 4.2.2. Model Period........................................................................................10 4.2.3. Model Development.............................................................................10 4.2.4. Model Parameters and Assumptions....................................................12 5.0 Windy Gap Project Water Rights .............................................................................14 6.0 Potentially Affected Environment ............................................................................16 6.1. West Slope Surface Water Hydrology .............................................................16 6.1.1. Colorado River from Lake Granby to Gore Canyon ...........................16 6.1.2. Willow Creek .......................................................................................25 6.1.3. Jasper East Study Area.........................................................................26 6.1.4. Rockwell/Mueller Creek Study Area ...................................................28 6.2. West Slope Stream Morphology and Sedimentation .......................................28 6.2.1. Colorado River from Lake Granby to Gore Canyon ...........................30 6.2.2. Willow Creek .......................................................................................32 6.3. West Slope Existing Reservoirs.......................................................................32 6.3.1. Lake Granby.........................................................................................32 6.3.2. Shadow Mountain Reservoir................................................................33 6.3.3. Grand Lake...........................................................................................33 6.4. West Slope Ground Water Hydrology and Quality .........................................34 6.4.1. Hydrogeology ......................................................................................34 6.4.2. Ground Water Use ...............................................................................36 6.4.3. Ground Water Quality..........................................................................37 6.5. East Slope Surface Water Hydrology ..............................................................38 6.5.1. Chimney Hollow Study Area ...............................................................38 6.5.2. Dry Creek Study Area..........................................................................38 6.5.3. East Slope Streams...............................................................................41 6.6. East Slope Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ........................................54 6.7. East Slope Existing Reservoirs ........................................................................54 6.7.1. Carter Lake...........................................................................................54 6.7.2. Horsetooth Reservoir ...........................................................................55 6.7.3. Ralph Price Reservoir ..........................................................................55 6.8. East Slope Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ..........................................56 6.8.1. Hydrogeology ......................................................................................56 6.8.2. Ground Water Use ...............................................................................58 6.8.3. Ground Water Quality..........................................................................58 i 7.0 Environmental Effects ..............................................................................................58 7.1. Surface Water Hydrology ................................................................................59 7.1.1. Facilities and Stream Segments Affected by Windy Gap Operations............................................................................................60 7.1.2. Comparison of Model Simulation Output............................................70 7.2. Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ............................................................78 7.2.1. Ground Water Hydrology ....................................................................78 7.2.2. Ground Water Quality..........................................................................79 7.3. Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ..........................................................80 7.4. Alternative 1 (No Action) ................................................................................80 7.4.1. Surface Water Hydrology ....................................................................81 7.4.2. Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ................................................94 7.4.3. Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ..............................................95 7.5. Alternative 2 (Chimney Hollow Reservoir with Prepositioning)— Proposed Action...............................................................................................98 7.5.1. Surface Water Hydrology ....................................................................99 7.5.2. Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ..............................................122 7.5.3. Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ............................................123 7.6. Alternative 3 (Chimney Hollow Reservoir with Jasper East Reservoir) .......126 7.6.1. Surface Water Hydrology ..................................................................126 7.6.2. Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ..............................................134 7.6.3. Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ............................................135 7.7. Alternative 4 (Chimney Hollow Reservoir with Rockwell/Mueller Creek Reservoir).......................................................................................................136 7.7.1. Surface Water Hydrology ..................................................................136 7.7.2. Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ..............................................137 7.7.3. Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ............................................138 7.8. Alternative 5 (Dry Creek Reservoir with Rockwell/Mueller Creek Reservoir).......................................................................................................138 7.8.1. Surface Water Hydrology ..................................................................138 7.8.2. Ground Water Hydrology and Quality ..............................................140 7.8.3. Stream Morphology and Sedimentation ............................................140 7.9. Windy Gap Firming Project Participant and Non-Participant Demands, Firm, and Average Yields ..............................................................................140 8.0 Cumulative Effects..................................................................................................142 8.1. Introduction....................................................................................................142 8.2. Reasonably Foreseeable Actions ...................................................................143
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