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River District says Grizzly exchange will provide 500 acre‑feet for Roaring Fork; seeks partnership to protect Shoshone flow
Summary
Representatives from the River District told Pitkin County commissioners the district arranged a one‑time 500 acre‑foot exchange with Twin Lakes to bank water for the upper Roaring Fork and outlined a multi‑year plan to pursue permanent protection of the Shoshone hydroelectric right through an in‑stream flow process and water‑rights acquisition.
Andy Mueller, general manager at the River District, told Pitkin County commissioners on Dec. 10 that the River District engineered a short‑term water exchange with Twin Lakes that will make about 500 acre‑feet of water available to help the upper Roaring Fork Basin.
The exchange arose after maintenance at Grizzly Reservoir and related operations of Lincoln Creek triggered water‑quality concerns this summer, Mueller said. When the Cameo call on the Colorado River was in effect, Twin Lakes would otherwise have been forced to divert the affected tributary flows through its tunnel; Twin Lakes agreed to take the water through its tunnel while the River District released an equivalent quantity from Wolford Mountain Reservoir and banked about 500 acre‑feet for use in the Roaring Fork over the next three years.
The River District said the 500 acre‑foot bank must be used within three years and no more than 300 acre‑feet may be released in a single year. The district also said it will not charge Pickin County or other local partners for that…
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