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. . DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES The Gunnison River Basin above the Aspinall Unit reservoirs includes approximately 4,000 square miles. In addition to the Gunnison River, major streams include the Cimarron River, Taylor River, East River, Tomichi Creek, and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. The Gunnison River originates where the East and Taylor Rivers join at Almont, Colorado in Gunnison County. From that point, the Gunnison flows 25 miles to Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest and most upstream of the three reservoirs comprising the Aspinall Unit. Blue Mesa Reservoir releases water into Morrow Point Reservoir which discharges into Crystal Reservoir. From Crystal Reservoir, the Gunnison flows approximately 2 miles to the Gunnison Tunnel diversion structun: (irrigation diversion for the Uncompahgre Project), located just upstream from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. From the Gunnison Tunnel through the Park and the Gunnison Gorge, the river flows for 29 miles to the confluence with the North Fork of the Gunnison River. :a then travels 75 river miles to its confluence with the Colorado River at Grand Junction. Gunnison River water use began in the 19th century with establishment of numerous irrigation and mining water rights by individuals and organizations. There are more than 5,000 direct diversion decrees that have been perfected and are presently in use on the Gunnison River and its tributaries above Delta, Colorado. Significant senior diversions downstream from the Aspinall Unit, established in the ,~arly 1900's, include the Gunnison Tunnel of the Uncompahgre Project and the Redlands Diversion, which have a combined diversion capability of approximately 2,000 cubic- feet-per second (cfs). In addition to water rights for direct diversions, storage rights have been established. These are rights to store available water in a reservoir for later use. The largest single perfected storage decree on the Gunnison River is the decree for Blue Mesa Reservoir. Other water storage facilities, in addition to those of the Aspinall Unit, include numerous smaller reservoirs and several larger Reclamation project reservoirs on Gunnison River tributaries-Taylor Park Reservoir on the Taylor River, Silver Jack Reservoir on Cimarron Creek, Crawford Reservoir fed by the Smith Fork, Paonia Reservoir on Muddy Creek, and Ridgway Reservoir on the Uncompahgre River. As indicated previously in this EA, Reclamation's practice has been to allow junior water users within the natural basin of the Gunnison River to develop up to 60,000 acre-feet without interference from the Aspinall Unit. Under the proposed Agreement, calls could be placed but in- basin junior uses would be protected up to the depletion amount. In addition, the amount of depletion would btl measured and tracked so the 60,000 acre-feet would not be exceeded. Under 5