Laserfiche WebLink
TABLE 1 <br />UNCOMPAHGRE VALLEY WATER USERS ASSOCIATION MAJOR WATER RIGHTS <br />(Continued) <br />Loutsenhizer 11/1/1881 11628.00000 0.54 <br />Canal 1/27/1882 11715.00000 0.46 <br />11/30/1883 12387.00000 7.00 <br />7/12/1886 13342.00000 33.33 <br />11/14/1888 14198.00000 5.50 <br />Subtotal 46.83 <br />Taylor Park 8/3/190430667.19938111,260 AF <br />Reservoir <br />Gunnison 6/1/1901 20393.18779 1,135 cf s 16 5 <br />Tunnel & 11/13/1957 50403.39398 23 5 <br />South Canal <br />Project lands surround the Town of Montrose and extend 34 miles along both sides of the Uncompahgre <br />River to Delta, Colorado. Project features include Taylor Park Dam and Reservoir, the Gunnison <br />Diversion Dam, Gunnison Tunnel, six diversion dams on the Uncompahgre River, 128 miles of main <br />canals, 438 miles of laterals, and 216 miles of drains. The system diverts water from the Uncompahgre <br />and Gunnison Rivers to irrigate approximately 76,000 acres of project land. <br />The project plan provides for storage in Taylor Park Reservoir on the Taylor River, which is a part of the <br />Gunnison River Basin, and diversion of water from the Gunnison River by the Gunnison Diversion Dam <br />through the Gunnison Tunnel and the South Canal to the Uncompahgre River. <br />Historic Operation of the Uncompahgre Project <br />General Description <br />Information regarding the historic operation of the Uncompahgre Project was obtained through <br />interviews with the Manager of the UVWUA, the Division 4 Engineer, and the Water Commissioner for <br />Water District 41. Prior to construction of the USBR's Aspinall Unit on the Gunnison River, the <br />UVWUA relied upon the senior direct rights decreed for irrigation from the main stem of the <br />Uncompahgre River (see Table 1). The cumulative total of these decrees is in excess of the natural flow <br />of the river except during the peak runoff season. However, because of the physical location of the <br />project canals with respect to each other, the downstream canals rely extensively on return flows from <br />upgradient irrigation to satisfy a large part of their demands. Even so, the UVWUA historically has had <br />to rely heavily on transbasin diversions from the Gunnison River via the Gunnison Tunnel, with a <br />capacity of 1,135 cubic feet per second (cfs). <br />Administration of the UVWUA system to deliver water to its members is a complex process that is <br />dependent on climatic and hydrologic conditions that can change almost daily. On any given day, the <br />total demands for water at the project canals is determined by the water users calling in their orders for <br />water. The UVWUA accumulates these orders to determine the total delivery requirements to each <br />canal. Irrigation under the UVWUA typically begins around the first of April and for a short time the <br />natural flow of the Uncompahgre River is adequate for the system demands. As the weather warms up, <br />3 <br />A275 01.09.95 1.15-25 Fosha, Hyre <br />