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'.' Section I - Introduction Background The Department of the Interior, represented by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), National Park Service (NPS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is initiating formal studies to provide a long- tenn water supply from the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit (Aspinall Unit) to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (Monument) by means of a water service contl"3ct. On December 18, 1991, Commissioner of Reclamation Dennis B. Underwood announced that the agencies would enter into formal negotiations on the proposed contract. The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), a state agency, will also participate in these studies and may be signatory to the water contract. The Aspinall Unit is operated by Reclamation and is located in Gunnison and Montrose Counties, Colorado, along a 40- mil@ stretcll of tile GURl1isOR River below the city of Gunnison. It consists of a series of three dams and reservoirs--Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal. All of the land and water areas of the reservoirs are included in the Curecanti National Recreation Area for management of recreation by the NPS. The Monument, also managed by the NPS, is located in Montrose County, approximately 2 miles downstream from the Aspinall Unit. It includes approximately 14 miles of the Gunnison River. The Gunnison Gorge includes another 16 miles of the river below the Monument, and is managed by the BLM as a Special Recreation Management Area. A location map is included as the frontispiece. Goals of Proposed Contract The five main goals and concepts of this proposal are to provide for the long-term protection of: -Aspinall Unit water storage purposes -Natural environment of the Monument -Natural environment and recreational use of the Gunnison Gorge -Colorado's ability to use water under its compact entitlement -Downstream endangered fish species It is also expected the proposed contract would help to resolve issues related to quantification of the Monument's reserved water right claims in State water court. The partnership between Federal and State agencies is designed to result in balanced water resource management that will protect the environmental values of the Monument while maintaining ti,e wate, ,tv, a!;" amI delivery purposes of the Aspinall Unit, Typically, Reclamation develops projects to provide water for purposes stated in each project's authorizing legislation. For the Aspinall Unit, water is stored for several uses, including water supplies for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses; water conservation; flood control and regulating the flow of the Colorado River; fish, wildlife, and recreation; and hydropower production. Water service contracts are the written "tools" which define terms and conditions by which water stored by the Aspinall Unit is made available for these uses. I