8089

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8089
• Author: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Title: Final Environmental Assessment Gunnison River Activities, Passageway Around the Redlands Diversion Dam and Interim Agreement to Provide Water for Endangered Fish.
• USFW Year: 1995.
• USFW - Doc Type: Grand Junction, Colorado.
• Copyright Material: NO

Concerning the specific operation of the Redlands Diversion Dam, a flow of about 750 cfs is
diverted into the Redlands Canal year-round for power generation and irrigation purposes.
About 60 cfs of irrigation water is pumped or diverted from the canal to serve residents of the
Redlands area. The irrigation season lasts approximately 6 months from April 15 to October
15. The rest of the year, the power canal is operated solely for generation of hydroelectric
power. Redlands Water and Power Company operates the diversion dam to maintain the 750 cfs
flow into their canal as much as possible.
Absolute water rights are those for which decrees have been issued by water courts based on
water actually being put to use. They differ from conditional rights, where a decree is issued
based on plans to put water to use in the future. Redlands Water and Power Company has the
following absolute water rights, totalling 750 cfs:
670 cfs - priority date July 31, 1905.
Allowed uses: irrigation, domestic stock, and power generation.
80 cfs - priority date June 26, 1941.
Allowed uses: irrigation and power generation
There are approximately 45 cfs of absolute water rights between the Redlands Canal and the
gage at Whitewater, including the city of Grand Junction's domestic water right of 18.6 cfs (the
city also has a conditional right of 101.4 cfs). Both of the city's rights are designed to
supplement other supplies; the conditional right would be used by future enlargement of their
pump station. The operation and maintenance agreement for the passageway recognizes and
protects the City's existing and future use of their rights and pump station.
Water Storage - In addition to direct diversion rights, there are storage rights that allow a
water user to store water in a reservoir for later release when needed for a downstream use.
Stored water can be released for decreed purposes, and protected from diversion by all other
water rights, including senior rights such as the Gunnison Tunnel and Redlands Diversion Dam.
The largest single storage right on the Gunnison River is Reclamation's 939,206 acre-foot decree
for Blue Mesa Reservoir for use in satisfying purposes of the Aspinall Unit. A block of this
water--estimated at 148,000 acre-feet--has been set aside, in accordance with Biological Opinions
of the Fish and Wildlife Service for the Dallas Creek and Dolores water projects, to mitigate
impacts of those projects to endangered fish. It is this water that would be released and
protected from diversion.
River Administration - Water rights need to be "administered" whenever sufficient flows in
the river are not physically present to satisfy all water rights. In shortage cases, "senior" (early)
water right holders can place a'"call" on the river--a request to the State Engineer to force some
of the water users with junior (later) rights to cease or lower their diversions and let the water
pass downstream to the senior right. A typical example of when water rights are administered
is: in a dry year, flows above the Redlands Diversion Dam fall to 600 cfs; in response, the
Redlands Water and Power Company requests a call to maintain their absolute diversion right
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