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<br />. .- r: <br />':'~~_Jj i <br /> <br />Downstream from the National Park, lands are administered by the Bureau of Land Management <br />as the Gunnison Gorge Special Recreation Management Area. In addition to the Gold Medal <br />fishery, the downstream 30-mile reach of river includes a designated Wilderness, a Wilderness <br />Study Area, an eligible Wild and Scenic River, and special land use designations. <br /> <br />Recommendations under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act were adopted to mitigate losses <br />of big game and fishery habitat associated with inundation by the Unit reservoirs. Reclamation <br />has completed acquisition and development of big game areas and has acquired about 13 miles of <br />fishing access along the Gunnison River and on tributaries upstream and downstream of the Unit. <br />Recent and ongoing acquisitions of streamside interests involve coordination with other federal, <br />state, and local agencies along with conservation organizations such as the Trust for Public Land <br />and Conservation Fund. The mitigation areas are managed by the Bureau of Land Management <br />and/or the Colorado Division of Wildlife. <br /> <br />In addition to the research for endangered fish, many other scientific studies have been completed <br />by Reclamation and cooperating agencies to determine resource needs and how they would be <br />affected by a change in Unit ope.rations. This work includes limnology and fish population <br />studies of the reservoirs, tail water trout studies, creel census surveys, fish entrainment <br />evaluations, river geomorphology investigations, and riparian vegetation studies. <br /> <br />Flood Control <br /> <br />U nit operations provide flood control benefits, both upstream and downstream of the reservoir. <br />One of the operational sideboards for high water years is to keep flows from the Unit and <br />downstream tributaries below 15,000 cfs through the city of Delta and Delta County area during <br />spring runoff to reduce flooding. Coordination of the Unit with Taylor Park operations also is <br />used to reduce upstream flooding. During the winter months, Blue Mesa Reservoir is drawn <br />down approximately 30 feet by January 1 to reduce problems with ice jams and winter flooding <br />upstream from the reservoir near the city of Gunnison. <br /> <br />Related Projects <br /> <br />Many existing water projects and activities are in place or are being considered for the Gunnison <br />River Basin that affect how Reclamation operates the Unit. These include existing federal and <br />state water projects, private water developments, instream flow filings, contractual agreements, <br />proposed water developments, and others. <br /> <br />Existing projects include the Uncompahgre Project which diverts over 300,000 acre-feet of water <br />from the river through the Gunnison Tunnel. Taylor Park Reservoir, with a capacity of 106,000 <br />acre-feet, stores water for this irrigation project on a headwater tributary. A 1975 Exchange <br />Agreement allows exchange of storage between Taylor Park Reservoir and Blue Mesa Reservoir <br />to benefit fisheries, recreation, and agriculture. Approximately 2 miles above the Gunnison <br />River's confluence with the Colorado River, the private Redlands Water and Power Company <br /> <br />9 <br />