Operation of the dam has exposed about six acres of gravel which now serve as a brown trout spawning ground immediately downstream from the dam. Development of Ruedi Dam and Reservoir has increased the available fish habitat in the area. The Forest Service is developing and managing these recreation facilities.ĭominant game fish found in the rivers on the western slope include rainbow, brown, cutthroat, and brook trout. Ruedi Reservoir and the North and South Side Collection Systems are on the western slope, where snow-capped mountain peaks reach over 13,000 feet in elevation and thickly forested slopes provide an exceptionally beautiful background for swimming, boating, water skiing, fishing, picnicking, camping, and general relaxation. Recreation facilities are being developed throughout the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project by the Bureau of Reclamation in cooperation with the National Park Service, Forest Service, and State and local agencies. Homestake Project water will be pumped by that entity from Clear Creek Reservoir into the Upper South Platte River Basin for delivery to the city water systems. The cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora have contracted to use the conveyance system of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project from Turquoise Lake to Clear Creek Reservoir for transportation of municipal water supplies owned by the two cities. Two separate water delivery pipeline systems, the Fountain Valley and Arkansas Valley Conduits, will begin at Pueblo Dam and convey water to organizations and communities on the eastern slope. Water for municipal and industrial use will be developed by the project to supplement existing supplies. Specialty crops such as onions, beans, tomatoes, and melons are grown extensively in the valley. Major crops grown are alfalfa, corn, sorghum, and sugar beets. It will permit farmers to diversify the crops produced and be more responsive to market demands for food and fiber.īecause of the ability to diversify crops and meet peak demands, the value of total crop production of the Arkansas Valley will be increased. The project will enable farms to sustain and possibly increase the level of present agricultural productivity per acre. Water diverted from the western slope and regulation of the Arkansas River flows will provide supplemental irrigation supplies for 280,600 irrigable areas in the Arkansas Valley. At Pueblo Dam and Reservoir, these facilities and resources are under the management of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The recreation and fish and wildlife facilities and resources at Ruedi Reservoir and Turquoise Lake are managed by the Forest Service. The Bureau of Reclamation operates and maintains the dams and reservoirs. Initial project water delivery to Colorado Springs and Fountain Valley towns is scheduled for 1982 for the Arkansas Valley towns, delivery is scheduled for 1985. Initial power is schedules in January 1981 (100,000 kilowatts) and an additional 100,000 kilowatts is scheduled to be available in 1983. Initial project water for irrigation and municipal and industrial use was available in September 1975. 393) signed by the President on August 16, 1962.Ĭonstruction began with Ruedi Dam and Reservoir in 1964, and numerous project features are completed or under construction. 187, 83d Congress, 1st session, recommended Ruedi Dam and Reservoir instead of the previously recommended Aspen Dam and Reservoir.Ĭonstruction of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project was authorized by Public Law 87-590 (77 Stat. In September 1959, a report that supplemented House Document No. Intensive investigation started in 1941 resulted in a potential planning report in 19, followed by a special report in 1949 and official recommendations in 1951.Ī revised planning report under the name Fryingpan-Arkansas Project in 1953 led to congressional approval of the project. Studies by the Bureau of Reclamation on a transmountain diversion project began in 1936. Large cattle ranches appeared as the result of the cattle drives from Texas. With the mining boom came immigrants who turned to agriculture to supply foodstuffs for the expanding population. The first permanent settlements were not established until after the discovery of gold in 1859-61. Later explorations were directed by Captain John C. The first official exploration by the United States was made in 1806-07 by Lieutenant Zebulon Pike. The project area was visited by various Spanish explorers during 1760-80. Mexican claims to the territory were relinquished in 1845 when Texas entered the Union. The remainder of the basin was claimed by Texas following the war with Mexico. The eastern slope area of the project north of the Arkansas River was a part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
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