Laserfiche WebLink
General Description of Wayne N. Aspinall Storage Unit <br />The Aspinall Unit was constructed as part of the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) and is operated <br />by the USBR. The unit is located along the main stem of the Gunnison River between the Black Canyon <br />of the Gunnison National Monument and the City of Gunnison. Three reservoirs form the Aspinall Unit: <br />1) Blue Mesa, 2) Morrow Point, and 3) Crystal. Construction of the unit was authorized on April 11, <br />1956, and was originally known as the Curecanti Unit. Blue Mesa Dam was completed in 1966, <br />followed by Morrow Point in 1968, and Crystal in 1976. <br />The primary function of the CRSP is to regulate streamflow so that water commitments to the Lower <br />Colorado River Basin can be met in dry periods without curtailing the development of water uses allotted <br />to the Upper Basin. Generating hydroelectric power at the three dams is also a key feature of the project. <br />Currently, there is active discussion between the United States and the Colorado Water Conservation <br />Board in regard to reserving an account in Blue Mesa Reservoir that would provide for releases for <br />endangered fish species in the lower Colorado River basin. The parties are considering storing <br />approximately 148,000 acre-feet for this purpose, which is apparently based on a demand below the <br />Redlands Canal of 300 cfs from July through October. <br />The flows of the Gunnison River are largely controlled by the operation of Blue Mesa Reservoir, the <br />largest of the three Aspinall Unit reservoirs. Water released through the Blue Mesa Powerplant receives <br />short term re-regulation by Morrow Point and Crystal Reservoirs located immediately downstream. <br />Water releases from Morrow Point are primarily for peaking power, while releases through the Crystal <br />Powerplant are more uniform to satisfy the requirements of downstream water rights and to maintain a <br />viable instream flow through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument. Except for a few <br />water users that have entered into water service contracts with the United States, the Aspinall Unit is not <br />operated to formally provide releases from storage directly to irrigated lands and municipal and <br />industrial users. <br />Power revenues in excess of operating costs and reimbursable construction costs are available to repay <br />other CRSP participating projects. Transmission of the electric power to load centers is a cooperative <br />effort of existing public and private utilities and the USBR. The combined power system of the Aspinall <br />Unit and participating projects is operated jointly by the Department of Energy's Western Area Power <br />Administration and the USBR's Power Operations Center in Montrose. The three Aspinall Unit <br />powerplants have a total installed capacity of 208,000 kilowatts (KW) and produce an average of 775 <br />million KW hours of electric energy annually. <br />Pursuant to a 1975 exchange agreement (discussed later), releases from storage are made to the <br />UVWUA's Uncompahgre Project as part of an exchange with Taylor Park Reservoir. There is also an <br />implied understanding that the United States will subordinate the storage decrees for the Aspinall Unit <br />reservoirs to additional development of water resources in the Upper Gunnison River basin above Blue <br />Mesa Reservoir to the extent of 60,000 acre-feet of annual consumptive use. <br />Tables 5 and 6 summarize the Aspinall Unit physical facilities and water rights. <br />3 <br />A275 01.09.95 1.15-21 Fosha, Hyre <br />