WSPP286 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

0009~~ CHAPTER 3 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL' CONSEQUENCES This chapter discusses resources that may be affected by actions taken to provide fish screening in the Redlands Power Canal. During preparation of this enviropmental assessment, information on issues and concerns was received from affected water users, resource agencies, private interests, recreational interest groups and citizens, and other interested parties (see Chapter 4, Consultation and Coordination, for further details). For each resource, the potentially affected area and/or interests are identified, existing conditions described, and impacts predicted under the No Action and Proposed Action Alternatives. This chapter is concluded with a summary comparison of the alternatives and a lis~ of mitigation measures. 'GENERAL The project is located in Mesa County, Colorado along the GumiisonRiver. Mesa County has a population of about 110,000. Grand Junction, the largest city in the area, was founded in 1881. Construction of the first irrigation project began in 1882 with the construction ofthe Pacific Slope Ditch to supply Grand Junction with water. The Redlands Diversion Dam is a privately oWned and operated structure located on the Gunnison River approximately 2.3 miles upstream from the confluence with the Colorado River (frontispiece map). The Redlands Water and Power Company constructed the diversion dam in ,1918 and has since modified' and up'graded it. The concrete dam is 8.5 feet high and consists ofa 312-foot-Iong spillway with a 6-foot-wide crest and two lO-foot-wide by 6-foot-high sluice gates. A flow of 850 cubic feet per second (cfs) is diverted through four 14-foot-wide headgates on the west side into the Redlands Power Canal. This flow is used for irrigation water and hydroelectric power generation. In 1983, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) exempted the Redlands Water and Power Company from licensing under FERC regulations. This exemption required that fish passage be allowed around the dam. In addition in 2003, Redlands installs flashboards on top of the dam to improve their operations. In 1996, the Recovery Program constructed a selective fish ladder at the Redlands Diversion Dam to provide endangered fish access upstream to additional critical habitat (Figure 2). The Service has operated the fish ladder seasonally since 1996. Additional information about the Redlands Fish ladder can be found in the Service's 1996-2000 evaluation report (Burdick, 2001) and the fish screen's biological assessment (Reclamation, 2003). 9