Proposals are being solicited by the US Bureau of Reclamation for the development of hydroelectric power at Taylor Park Dam in Colorado, in line with the Department of the Interior’s promise to facilitate the development of non-federal hydropower on Reclamation projects.
The project is part of the Uncompahgre Project, located near Gunnison, Colorado, under a Lease of Power Privilege (LOPP), which is a contractual right given to a non-federal entity to use a Reclamation facility for electric power generation consistent with Reclamation project purposes.
“Hydropower is a renewable and reliable resource providing clean energy to the western United States” said Ed Warner, Reclamation’s Western Colorado Area Office Manager. “Reclamation’s LOPP program facilitates the development of untapped hydropower potential on federal water resource projects and allows non-federal entities to take advantage of existing infrastructure where there is potential to generate clean, renewable energy.”
Requirements for submitting proposals are available in a Federal Register Notice (Document Citation: 85 FR 54399) located at www.federalregister.gov. No federal funds will be available for this hydroelectric power development.
Applicants should deliver their original written proposals and seven hardcopies on or before 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Friday, January 29, 2021. A proposal will only be considered if it is received at or before 4:00 p.m. on the designated date. Late proposals will not be considered.
Proposals can be mailed or hand-delivered to Ed Warner, Area Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, 445 West Gunnison Ave, Suite 221, Grand Junction, CO 81501.
Technical data, including water release patterns, may be obtained by contacting Ryan Christianson at rchristianson@usbr.gov or 970-248-0652.
Taylor Park Dam is on the Taylor River, a tributary of the Gunnison River. The dam is a zoned earthfill structure 206 feet high, with a crest length of 675 feet and a volume of 1,115,000 cubic yards. It creates a reservoir with a storage capacity of 106,200 acre-feet. The spillway is an overflow-type weir crest 180 feet long with a capacity of 10,000 cubic feet per second. The outlet works is a horseshoe tunnel with a diameter of 10 feet, and a capacity of 1,500 cubic feet per second.
