WSP09968

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 10/1/1982
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Paonia Project Summary Description - Water and Power Resources Service Project Data - October 1982
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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abo\'E' ~trt'ambt-d of 11 It''t't. Fire .\fountain Canal
extt'nd~ 34.7 miles along th(' north sidt' of the "allt'..,. II
has an initial capocil)' or 200 cuhic ft'i't per ""'Cond:
rMucing 10 100 cubic feet Pf'r ~nd at th.. uroux
Crf't'k crfu;sinll.

DE\'EU)P'IE,'T

Earl}' History

.\lininlZ It'd to lilt" earl} "t'ltlcnlellt of "'NleTn Colors,lo
ann hrought the area's first rllilo)lId I'(-,nke. The Vie
Indians orilZinslly ol'Cupit'd wl"Sl-('l'n1ral ('.%ra./o. indUlI-
in,e: th(' \'slle) of the "'uTth ForL. of Ihl' GUflnbiOn Hi\er.
Earl) {'Hort.! tu penetrate Ihe area "'t'rt' n'1li~lt>d by' tht,
Irlflisns until a compromise IJgret'nwnl ...jlh the COI'ern-
OWllt was rl"sdled on September .J, 1881. and the
Indians "'en' mO\t'll to Iht' Cinlah Hcsenstion in Iht.
Territor~' of l'lah.

Water rights in tht' ,-allc}' date from 1882. 1111' deu'lop-
ment of irriJlation fRl"ilities pr()(.t>t>dt'd rapidl~ until. by
the turn of tnt' ('entuT)', thl" latf' !'ummer natural flow of
th(' riu'r had 1.>t.'COme heavily appropriatro, Hat(' of !iN-
tlemt'nt and population growth were rapid in l'arl~- p'lIr~,
but developmt'1lI of thl' arf'a s1owro b}' IQ20. Agricultural
~ttl('ment has rl'maint'd morl' or If'~ static ..ince that
time. although the population has incrt'a."fiJ slightly dur-
ing rf'('f'nt }"f'IIN.

In\'f'!itigation!i

In 1934. th(' Stat(' of Colorado began imf'stigating a
numbf'r of rt'~rvoir sit('s, including fi\"f' in the :\'orth
Fork wat(,Nht'd. As a r('sult of tht'~ in\,('stigatiolls and
activitit'!i of the local wat..r u.~rs, th(' Bureau Ilf Rl'Cla.
mation commenced in\'t'!itigation of storagt' fHl"sibilitil''' in
tlu' North Fork rail..}" in 1936.

A r('port i"'Sllt'd by tht' Bur('8u of Rl'Clamation in August
]938 su,:::j{t'stf'd dt'\'elopment of a rt'st'r\-'oir at tht' nor""
Ran('h !.iitl' on Anthracitt' Crt't'k to ~n-e lands of tht' Fire
1\lountain Canal and also of a re!<f"r\'oir at thl' Hea\"t'I'
damsite on the Ea,.t Fork of .\linnt'l'Ota Crf't'k to ..uppl..-
m('nt th(' wat('r "lIppl~' for ditch('s dh('rting from Z\lin.
neSOla Cr('f>k. A.nthracit(' CrH'k and .\linnesota Cre('k art'
triblllaries of th(' :\'orth Fork of tht' Gunnison Rinr. On
tht' "tr('n,cth of thi... rt"port. the !'aonia Projt"<:t was
authorizt'd on ~larch lB. 1939. by I'residl'ntial appro\'al
of the finding.. of feal"ibility of tht' Sl'Cretary 01 the In.
terior. datf'd ;\Iarrh 16. 1939,

Subwqul'nt lindin~ prompted is;luance 01 a re\'i,.ffi
report in 19.w dealing onl)o-' with tht> Fire ;\Iountain Divi-
sion. Thi;;. report propo!'ot'1.1 that the Spring Crf't'k ReSt'r-
\'oir sitt' on Ea;;.t ~Iudd~ Crt't:'k. another triblltaT) of the
:\"orth Fork. be dl'\"t'lopf>d b)o- thl' Burt>au of Reclamation
and that th(' Fire .\fountain Canal he t>nlarJrftI by tht>

Pa.onia. Project

3

J'.oni.ll.rn.nd R.....,rvoir

water U~'r8 in a IO-}'ear df'\dopml'nt period during
which nil pa}'ments would bt> requirt'{l for the slora~t>
dam. Funds for tht' canal enlar~wmt'nt were to llt' df'riwd
from charges madt' for tht" 1I!'t> of Spring Creek Rt':-<t'rvoir
water and from rt'\'f'ml('~ from the sale of urollx Cn>ek
water rights in thf' arl'a to be !'o('r\'ed by an extt'nsion of
the Fire .\-follntain Canal. This plan. howen'r. wa~ not
fa\'orffi by water U"t'TS and authorization was not re-
qUl'stt'{1.

In 194-6. tht' project plan was furtht'r re\'iSt'tJ 10 incllldl' a
total of H.750 acres 01 land to be bendit('d. to pro\"idt>
4.000 acrl'-lH't of !cIurplus re!l('r\'oir capacity. to prO\'ide
for t"lllargeml'nt and improwment of thl' O\erland and
Fire :'\lountain Canals. and to pro\"idt' lor tran;;.fer of tht'
use 01 watt>r to upstream land" on urollx Creek undt'r
Iwo a!tt>rIlati\'t' plans. Tht. projfft wa:> authorizl'tl on
Jun(' ~5. 1947. by tht' ROth CODgrt's.~. Wht>n bids for con.
slnlction 01 Spring Crt't'k Dam were opt'nffi on Augu:>t 3.
1948. the low bid wa,,::H pen't'nt ahO\e tht' engineer'"
c"timate and t'xC't't'{iffi thl' total expt"ndittlJ't' authorizt"d
for all ft>atures. :\"0 justili('ation could be found for I"lIch
hi~h bid... and all bid~ Wf'rt' rt>jf'Cted. It wa.. dl'tt'nninffi.
howeHr. that enlarg('ment and t>xlension of the Fin>
~Iountain and O\erland Canals Werl' ft'a..iblt' undt>rtak.
ings indeJlt'ndent 01 tilt' storage featurt". A... repa}nwnt
contract" had bt"f'n eXf'Cutffi bt'twt't'n thl' GO\-ernmt'nt