7905

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7905
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Quality of Water, Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1995.
• USFW - Doc Type: Progress Report No. 17,
• Copyright Material: NO

Upper Gunnison River Basin Projects-Water rights were granted by the State of
Colorado to the Colorado River Water Conservation District for the Wayne N. Aspinall
Unit (formerly Curecanti Unit) of the Colorado River Storage Project with a priority
date of November 13, 1957. These rights were assigned by the district to the United
States in January 1962 subject to the condition that the unit would be developed and
operated in a manner consistent with beneficial use of the waters in the Gunnison
River Basin. In order that future developments in the Upper Gunnison Basin would
be assured of rights to use the water, a formal contract was developed for execution
among the United States Government, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy
District, and water users in the Upper Basin. The contract provides that diversion
and storage rights of the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit would be subordinated to future
inbasin, upstream development, both private and Federal, even though the rights of
such upstream development might be junior to the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit right. The
aggregate amount of upstream depletions for which the priority of the Wayne N.
Aspinall right may be waived has not yet been determined.

The authorizing legislation of the Colorado River Storage Project listed five projects in
the Upper Gunnison River Basin for priority of investigations: (1) Bostwick Park,
(2) East River, (3) Fruitland Mesa, (4) Ohio Creek, and (5) Tomichi Creek. The total
depletion by these five projects was estimated to be about 60,000 acre-feet annually,
40,000 acre-feet of which would be depleted above Blue Mesa Dam. An additional
10,000 acre-feet would be depleted between Morrow Point and Blue Mesa Dams, and
another 10,000 acre-feet would be depleted between Crystal and Morrow Point Dams.
An increased upstream depletion of 60,000 acre-feet was assumed in the operation
studies for the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit in the determination of the water supply
available for power generation.

In 1973, Reclamation issued a concluding report on its Upper Gunnison Project
investigations which included the East River, Ohio Creek, and Tomichi Creek Units.
Although it was concluded that there was limited potential for Federal water resource
development under existing evaluation criteria and projected economic conditions,
Reclamation still recognizes its commitment to allow beneficial development of waters
of the Upper Gunnison River Basin up to 60,000 acre-feet. Excluding the existing
4,000-acre-foot depletion of the Bostwick Park Project, but assuming the depletion of
21,000 acre-feet is realized on the Fruitland Mesa Project by 2040, there would be a
remainder of 39,000 acre-feet available for depletion. Somewhat arbitrary levels of
development were used for the period 1990 to 2010.

West Divide Project-A feasibility report was prepared in 1966, and the project was
authorized by Public Law 90-537 on September 30, 1968, as a participating project of
the Colorado River Storage Project. Advance planning studies have continued, and
various plans have been considered, but no large project is feasible, based upon
current policies and procedures for planning water and related land resources projects.
Plans considered included a mix of water for irrigation and municipal use. A draft
concluding report summarizes available data and presents a potential but currently
infeasible plan with a 38,200-acre-foot depletion. For planning purposes, an
administrative decision was made by Reclamation to defer depletions until 2040.
Subsequently, the West Divide Water Conservancy District has elected to pursue the
construction of Alsbury Dam, a 250 acre-foot reservoir on East Divide Creek.

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