The Collbran Project, in west-central Colorado, developed a major part of the unused water in Plateau Creek and its principal tributaries. Supplemental irrigation service is furnished and electrical energy is generated for use in west-central Colorado.

The project also rehabilitated and modified the operation of 15 small privately owned storage reservoirs on the Grand Mesa in the Cottonwood Creek and Big Creek watersheds. These reservoirs provide water for power generation through exchanging storage water on Grand Mesa for irrigation water from Vega Reservoir.

The Upper Molina penstock extends from the junction of the Bonham and Cottonwood pipelines, continues approximately 2.4 miles down the north slope of Grand Mesa, and terminates at the Upper Molina Powerplant. The penstock consists of welded steel pipe with a capacity of 50 cubic feet per second, ranging in diameter from 36 inches at the junction with the Bonham-Cottonwood collection system to 33 inches at the lower section.

The Bonham Reservoir acts as a forebay for the Upper Molina Powerplant, which controls releases up to a maximum capacity of 50 cubic feet per second from the reservoir. Upper Molina Powerplant consists of a single 8,640-kilowatt generating unit. This unit operates at a design head of 2,490 feet with power tailwater discharges up to 50 cubic feet per second into the Molina Equalizing Reservoir. Both the Lower and Upper Molina Powerplants are operated in conjunction with Colorado River Storage Project power operations.

Power generated at both power plants is transformed to a transmission voltage of 115 kilovolts at two substations constructed adjacent to the plants. A 5.5-mile transmission line leads from the substation at the Upper Molina Powerplant, delivers energy produced at the plant to the substation at Lower Molina Powerplant, and connects to Xcel Energy.