Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment: Tri-County Water Hydropower Project – Interconnection Facilities nWestern Colorado Area Office Upper Colorado Region.

摘要

Hydropower facilities at Ridgway Dam on the Uncomprehending River in Ouray County, Colorado are currently under construction. Ridgway Dam is the water storage feature of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Dallas Creek Project. The hydropower development is permitted through a “Lease of Power Privilege” (LOPP) which allows a non-Federal party to develop the hydropower resource. The Tri-County Water Conservancy District (Tri-County), which operates and maintains Ridgway Dam, is constructing the hydropower facilities.A final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact have been completed on the hydropower facilities (Reclamation 2011). That assessment provided information on power transmission and interconnection facilities. This final assessment supplements the 2011 document and addresses additional details and information on the transmission facilities.The proposed action is to issue a license agreement to Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) for construction of interconnection facilities to interconnect Tri-County Hydropower facilities to the existing 115-kV transmission line that runs along U.S. Highway 550. In addition, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will be signed with Tri-County to relocate dry storage facilities and utilities operated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) as part of Ridgway State Park.