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The Gunnison: A Basin In Balance <br />the in-basin purposes of: domestic and municipal; irrigation and stockwatering; <br />industrial; electric energy development; flood control; fish, wildlife protection and <br />preservation; and recreation. In 1962, the River District assigned these water rights to <br />the United States. In 1980, the United States was decreed the following absolute <br />rights for the Aspinall Unit: <br />Reservoir storeage rights 1,212,510 Acre-feet <br />Blue Mesa first fill 940,755 AF <br />Blue Mesa refill 122,702 AF <br />Morrow Point 119,053 AF <br />Crystal 30,000 AF <br />Hydropower flow rights 10,950 cubic feet per second <br />Blue Mesa 2500 cfs <br />Morrow Point 5450 cfs <br />Crystal 3000 cfs <br />Each year the Bureau operates the Aspinall Unit-storing and releasing <br />Gunnison water-to satisfy several purposes at the same time, thereby juggling many <br />competing demands for a finite water supply. Typically, the Bureau draws down <br />reservoir storage levels during the fall and winter months, and then lets them rise <br />again with the run-off from melting snow in late spring. During the summer, it <br />attempts to keep reservoir levels steady to maximize flat water recreation on Blue <br />Mesa while also releasing enough water to meet the needs of downstream water <br />users. <br />Throughout the year, the Bureau maximizes electrical generation by releasing <br />water through penstocks that have hydropower turbines (rather than through by-pass <br />tunnels or "spilling" over the top) and keeps an eye on flood control for downstream <br />cities. More recently, it has implemented releases of water to benefit federally endan- <br />gered fish in the lower Gunnison and Colorado Rivers. In the future, the Bureau will <br />re-operate the Aspinall Unit to better meet the needs of endangered fish and Black <br />Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. <br />3. Taylor Park Reservoir/Aspinall Unit Exchange <br />Prior to construction of the Aspinall Unit, Taylor Park Reservoir was operated <br />as a typical irrigation storage reservoir, with heavy releases during the irrigation sea- <br />son and closing of the gates in fall and winter to maximize storage for the next irriga- <br />tion season. Many people realized that the existence of Aspinall (primarily Blue Mesa <br />Reservoir) presented an opportunity for Taylor Park Reservoir to be operated in a new <br />way, to improve conditions for other water uses, without infringing upon flows at the <br />Gunnison Tunnel for the UVWUA. <br />In 1975, several parties entered into an Exchange Agreement involving Taylor <br />Park Reservoir and the Aspinall Unit." The Exchange Agreement allows UVWUAs <br />storage in Taylor Park (securing UVWUAs Gunnison Tunnel diversions) to be <br />exchanged for storage and release from the Aspinall Unit. As a result, Taylor Park <br />Gunnison Basin Water . 5