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<br />Cimarron Dredl!;inl!; Environmental Assessment <br /> <br />CHAPTER 3 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND <br />ENVIRONMENT AL CONSEQUENCES <br /> <br />General <br /> <br />This chapler discusses resources thaI may be affected by actions raken 1'0 reSlore lhe upper end of <br />Cryslal Reservoir below Morrow Point Dam to ilS original post-dam conslruclion elevalion. <br />During preparalion of lhis Draf! EA. informalion on issues and concerns was received from <br />affecled waler users. resource agencies. privale inreresls. recrealional inreresl groups and cilizens, <br />and olher parties (see Chapler 4, Consultalion and Coordinalion, for further details). <br /> <br />For each resource. the pOlenlially affected area. andlor interests are identified. existing conditions <br />are described, and impacts expecled under lhe No AClion Allernalive and Proposed AClion <br />Alternative are discussed. This chapler concludes with a summary comparison of the alrernalives <br />and a lisl of mitigalion measures. <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />The project is localed in Monrrose County. Colorado along lhe Gunnison River within <br />Reclamation withdrawn lands of the Aspinall Unit. Montrose Counry has a populalion of aboul <br />31.500 (U.S. Census 2001). Monrrose is the largesl city in the area with a populalion of about <br />12.000. The counry is primarily rural in nature wilh an agricultural base. The Uncompahgre <br />Project. conslructed in the early 1900's. provides irrigalion water for abOUI 86.000 acres by <br />diverting waler from the Gunnison River primarily through the Gunnison Tunnel, and lhe <br />Uncompahgre River. Tourism and recreation are also a significanr source of economic aClivity <br />for lhe area Wilh the Gunnison River. Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nalional Park. Curecanti <br />Narional Recreation Area, and lhe San Juan range of lhe Rocky Mountains nearby. <br /> <br />Aspinall Unit and Morrow Point Reservoir <br /> <br />The Aspinall Unil of lhe Colorado River Storage Project consisls of three reservoirs (Blue Mesa, <br />Morrow Poinl. and Cryslal) along a 40 mile slrelch of lhe Gunnison Ri ver (see Figure 2). <br /> <br />Morrow Poinl Dam was compleled in 1968 as part oflhe Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River <br />Storage Project. The dam is a double-curvalure slructure construcled with 18 blocks separaled <br />by vertical transverse conrraction joinls spaced al 40-foOI cenlers excepl for lhe cenrer block, <br />which is 30-feel wide. <br /> <br />The spillway COnSiSIS offour 15 by 15 fool submerged orifice openings through lhe lOp cenlral <br />portion of lhe dam. each cOnlrolled by a 15 by 16.83 fOOl fixed-wheel gale. The spillway <br />discharge falls about 365 feel into a slilling basin at lhe loe of lhe dam. A 65-foOI-high weir <br /> <br />8 <br />