Water districts around the state are looking at their options to expand existing storage reservoirs. Expansion is much easier that getting permits for new storage. Sustainable water supplies are the goal and capturing more surface water runoff is a great strategy. Here's an article from the Mountain Mail about the potential to expand Boss Lake.
From the article, "Following the decision last month to improve the outlet of North Fork Reservoir, Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District directors Thursday studied similar options for Boss Lake. Both reservoirs are part of the South Arkansas basin system and serve Poncha Springs and Salida. With O'Haver Reservoir, they are part of a U.S. Forest Service environmental impact statement studying storage expansion and rehabilitation options. During Thursday's regular directors meeting, engineer Chris Manera presented results of a feasibility study for Boss Lake, located in a remote area northwest of Garfield.
"The study offered three courses of action, but the board decided to put off a decision until the August meeting. The outlet pipe is reaching the end of its life expectancy and there is seepage through the dam, Manera said. Options include minor upgrades to the outlet system at an estimated cost of $400,000 or replacing the outlet system and sealing the dam, increasing capacity to 425 acre-feet at a cost of about $800,000. A third option is complete replacement of the dam with a concrete structure, adding 20 feet of height increasing capacity to 1,050 acre-feet at a cost of about $4 million. Unlike North Fork Reservoir where rehabilitation is a precursor to planned expansion, options for Boss Lake are mutually exclusive, Manera said. 'I would rather see us put money into a whole new dam than working with what we have,' director Bill Donley said. District manager Terry Scanga said he preferred the second option of upgrades and increased capacity but recommended taking another month to study the options. The third option of replacing the dam would require creating a new access road. Options for a new road would need to be inserted for consideration as part of the environmental impact statement, Manera said."
Category: Colorado Water
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