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0 <br />Preliminary Analysis: Wayne N. Aspinall Unit Operations <br />and the Federal Water Right Claim, <br />Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park <br />Introduction and Background <br />At the request of the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Reclamation has <br />prepared this report to analyze: (1) the effects of meeting desired hydrograph criteria (NPS <br />desired flows) on the purposes and operations of the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit (Aspinall Unit), <br />and (2) the Unit's ability to meet the desired flows. The report contains a brief review of <br />background material; a description of the hydrology model, model runs analyzed, and hydrology <br />results; preliminary analyses on the effects of the NPS desired flows on Aspinall Unit purposes; <br />and conclusions and recommendations. <br />The report does not attempt to assess impacts of the NPS desired flows on private water supplies, <br />water rights, and water diversion structures; nor on storage rights of Federal and State agencies <br />such as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Colorado Division of Wildlife. <br />The Aspinall Unit, authorized by the Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSP) of 1956, is <br />located in Gunnison and Montrose Counties in western Colorado along a 40-mile reach of the <br />Gunnison River just upstream from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The Unit <br />consists of three dams and reservoirs-Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal. The Unit is <br />operated by Reclamation, while the land and water areas of the reservoirs are managed by the <br />NPS as the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Reclamation operates the reservoirs and power <br />plants to meet the following purposes: <br />regulate flow of the Colorado River <br />- store water for beneficial consumptive purposes <br />- allow the Upper Basin states to use the apportionment made to and among them <br />through the Colorado River Compact and the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact <br />provide for the reclamation of and and semiarid lands <br />- provide for flood control <br />- provide for fish and wildlife enhancement and public recreation <br />- generate hydropower <br />Additional information on the Unit and related activities are found in Attachment A, including a <br />map of the area. <br />The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (formerly National Monument until 1999) was <br />established in 1933 by Presidential Proclamation No. 2033 (47 Stat 2558) to preserve the <br />spectacular gorge and other objects of scenic, scientific, and educational interests. The Park <br />includes 16 miles of the Gunnison River downstream from the Aspinall Unit.