Application for Approval of Homestake Phase II Water Project, 1962-1986.
(Archival Materials)

The cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora propose to develop Phase II of the Homestake Water Project, diverting waters from Cross Creek and Fall Creek in the Holy Cross Wilderness area of Eagle County. Their application to Eagle County, Colo., for approval of Homestake Phase II (with accompanying attachments 1-31) and their subsequent response to Eagle County concerning the completeness of the application (with accompanying attachments 32-60) comprise this collection. --- The Homestake Water Project was completed in 1967, diverting 27,000 acre-feet of water from French Creek, Fancy Creek, Missouri Creek, Sopris Creek, Homestake Creek, and the East Fork of Homestake Creek into Homestake Reservoir in the Holy Cross Wilderness area of Eagle County. That water went to the cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora on the Front Range which had acquired water rights to the upper Eagle River basin in 1962. Those cities' rapid rate of growth instigated Homestake Phase II, designed to divert water from Cross Creek and Fall Creek, again in the Holy Cross Wilderness, through a series of four small dams and a 13-mile underground tunnel. Concern for the meadows and high-altitude wetlands impacted by Homestake Phase II grew and the Holy Cross Wilderness Defense Fund was created in 1982 to fight the project. Eagle County denied Colorado Springs and Aurora the construction permits for Homestake Phase II. Litigation over the denial continued until, in 1994, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld Eagle County's decision. In 1998, Aurora and Colorado Springs agreed to give up the Homestake Phase II project in favor of other alternatives. “The Homestake II Project would have taken approximately 30,000 acre-feet of water annually from Cross and Fall Creeks within the boundaries of the Holy Cross Wilderness. The proposed project called for 57,000 feet of tunnels, 3,000 feet of pipeline and four diversion structures. Water collected from Homestake II would have been delivered to the existing Homestake reservoir for subsequent delivery to the Front Range. The cities still retain the water rights for Homestake II.” --Colorado River Water Conservation District Water Glossary