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Show $200 million Dolores darr' project beginning this fall;"3 S i...j: iQBfi after which nrnvide livpKkrwl i. 1 m Work on the key structure, the McPhee Dam, of the $200 million Dolores River project in Colorado is expected to begin this fall, according to Dwayne Longenbaugh, manager man-ager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District. Longenbaugh made the announcement an-nouncement at a recent address ad-dress to the Monticello Chamber Cham-ber of Commerce, predicting that the project will require up to 600 workers in construction. construc-tion. He said the impact of the influx of workers into the area will begin to be felt later this year and in early 1979. The entire McPhee Dam project is expected to be completed in 1986, after which only about 20 persons will be needed to operate the dam. Longenbaugh reported that the water conservancy district dist-rict was organized in 1961 and that its" organization was for the purpose of constructing the Dolores River project. The problem with the river, he said, is that it does not carry enough water steadily to serve the needs of the area. The river often dries up in late summer and fall, harming fish and wildlife and cutting short the water supply for valley residents. However, he said, the river carries enough water, on a year around total basis, to meet most of the needs, and the Dolores project will create a large-capacity reservoir behind be-hind the McPhee Dam to provide the storage needed to even out the flows. Water will be available all year, he said. When the Dolores project is in operation, much of the land that is now dryfarmed will receive irrigation water for the Erst time. Although some of the valley is now irrigated, available water must often be rationed, which leads to poor crop yields. The site of McPhee Dam is about 11 miles north of Dolores Dolor-es in Montezuma County, Colorado. Longenbaugh said the project pro-ject is expected to increase agricultural production by about $20 million a year and to provide livelihood for J ' 100 additional farm twj : It is also expected to tJjVs 60 more families aorjitr'' about 50 new retail bus J ' and other support busiJj ' i ' Recreation on the ne3 'V is expected to provide y ir $600,000 annually in ' .V es, he said. i L'f |