McPhee Dam & Reservoir

Crest of Dam – 270 feet above stream bed
Length – 1,370 feet | Width – 30 feet
Volume – approx. 6,230,000 cubic yards
Total Capacity – 381,000 acre-feet
Active Capacity – 229,000 acre-feet
Inactive Capacity – 152,000 acre-feet
Dead Storage – 100 acre-feet
Water Surface Area – 4,470 acres
Full Reservoir Elevation – 6,924 feet
Reservoir Extends – 10 miles up Dolores River, 4 miles up Beaver Creek, 1 mile up Dry Creek, 2 miles up House Creek and 2 miles across Sage Hen Flats

Great Cut Dike

Crest Length – 1,900 feet | Crest Width – 30 feet
Maximum Height – 64 feet above ground
Volume – approx. 189,000 cubic yards

Pumping Plants and Laterals

Pumping Plants – 4 along Dove Creek Canal | 3 along South Canal
Lateral Systems for sprinkler irrigation – 7
Pressurized Pipe Laterals – approx. 82 miles; will deliver 55,200 acre-feet to approximately 27,920 acres in Montezuma and Dolores Counties

Dove Creek Canal

Dove Creek Canal begins at the end of the pump discharge line at Great Cut Pumping Plant and extends northwest 32.8 miles to Dove Creek
Initial Capacity – 380 cubic feet per second (c.f.s.)
Turnouts – Fairview, Cahone, Pump Plant #23 and Dove Creek Pumping Plants

South Canal

South Canal branches from Dove Creek Canal near Pleasant View and extends 6.9 miles to the south and west
Initial Capacity – 150 cubic feet per second
Turnouts – Pleasant View, Sandstone Canyon, Ruin Canyon Pumping Plants and Hovenweep Laterals

Dolores Tunnel and Canal

Dolores Tunnel carries water through the Dolores-San Juan Divide about 2 miles west of Dolores
Maximum Capacity – 520 c.f.s.
Turnouts – Dolores Canal, MVIC West and East Laterals, M&I Water to the City of Cortez, Montezuma Water Company and Ute Tribe, and the Towaoc Canal Powerplant

Towaoc Canal Powerplant

Capacity – 11.5 megawatts; will produce an average of 30,318,000 kilowatt-hours annually
Operates during irrigation season

Towaoc Canal

Towaoc Canal begins at Towaoc Canal Powerplant and extends south and west 39.5 miles to the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation
Initial Capacity – 420 c.f.s.
Turnouts – 160 to MVIC famlands, 4 to Rocky Ford Laterals, and 3 to Towaoc Laterals

McPhee Dam Powerplant

Two turbines which power a 1,300 kilowatt generator; will produce an average of 7,170,000 kilowatt-hours annually
Operates year round

Reservoir Data

Minimum pool for M&I reserve is 6858.81; content 160,378 acre-feet
Minimum pool is 6855.00; content 151,978 acre-feet
Maximum pool is 6924.00; content 381,160 acre-feet
Ute M&I => 687 acre-feet
City of Cortez M&I => 3210 acre-feet
Revised 30 year average 1971-2000 is 397,000 acre-feet
MVIC demand is 11 year average 1990-2000
Average water year inflow volume (30 yr/avg) – 397,000 acre-feet
Fishery water years are April 1st to March 31st
Average evaporation is 5,400 acre-feet per year
Estimated seepage is 2,000 acre-feet per year
Normal runoff is 319,400 acre-feet