4208

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 4208
• Author: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Title: Development in the Upper Colorado Basin, The Bureau of Reclamation Defends Itself.
• USFW Year: n.d.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

_. a
'v',ational '~iont:mert and d©~;ream ,from the *.~own of Gunnison.
In order to prerPnt damage to property- ne~.r the to~sn, the
_. authorizing iegislatior provides tiat Curenan~ Dam 5ha11. be con- ~,
~' strueted to a height a stci~~ -not- less than 9~{i,C~(}0 acre-fQet cif
vrater, or tca crp..ate a reservoir-of such greater capacity. as can be
abi.ained Dv a high-v~ater line located at a,5?0 fit shore sea level.
C~ristraeticjn.;~I not.be commenced nntII. further engineering and =,
economiesstudies hay ~ }3eFn. inad~ and..unzii _the: Secretary of the
Interior hay eertified ~~ta the C~ng~s~ and the- President t'tat the -
' Curecanii ?<-nit is econ;jmicaIIz justifiable.
Studies-show %that a favorable ~_ tan :vouid include a series of
_ everai dams, reservoirs, and por~er planes ~cng the 35-mLe ri~ep-
section. These power plants ;would hate an instahed a~nerating ~~
capacity of about. 15?,000 xilov~atts and ^s-ould develop about 9.0
feet- of static power head.. The Gurecanti P~escrvoir, the highest
upstream of the series, would be formed b~- Blue liesa Dam, located... _
;0 miles downstream from Gunnison, T'r_is dam,. about 350 feet
high, would create a reservoir with a capacity of about .9-tQ,000 ,,`
acre-feet at a high-water elevation of r;520 feet, This reservoir -
would- provide seasonal regulation for a power plant at Blue Mesa
Uam and for power plants at other dams in the 15-mile reach of
ricer downstream. Detailed planning investigations of the C~.u•ecanti
L"nit should be completed in the near future..
Construction Activities
Investigations of the Curecanti Storage Unit are being con-
ducted from- the Upper- Colorado P~iver office in Salt Lake Cittir, -`
L'tah: One immediate problem is to determine ~;'hether ~a singIe
high dam at 3iorrow Point,. or a lower dam there, in comuination
with another dam upstream at the Blue _llesa site, should be used
to develop the power head above Morrow Point. Cost estimates for
alternatives are now being- prepared b~~ the Bureau of Reclamation..
Detailed topography of the Morrow Point. and Cr`stal Dam sites-
is k~eing obtained .under photogrammetric contract. 3 special report,
to meet the requirements `for Secretarial Certification -under the
a
- _ authorizing Act is to b2~lirepared by Jane, 1951:: It will be follen-ed "'
by a definite pian report later in the same rear:
e ~;
., .
- ~-~
- - - ~~
_~
~ ~ _ ~-~
~ ~ ~ ;;,
~~~~ •
f
~=' -`
"s ~... ""-<.~'--'"-~. - ~~aiw.w ~~ - ~i~:.oaC-.~u.+....~+it~u:+,:etHf~:~-~~N,nte..';'J -.:--.~r..a
UPPER COLORd,DO RIVER GO1~II~IISSION, 8th ANNUAL REPORT 1957, 37-x.
r 1 ~ ~