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Gunnison River /Aspinall Unit Temperature Analysis -Phase I <br />Executive Summary, Page-C <br />Constraints. We focused this work predominantly on questions of whether or not it <br />would be physically possible to obtain warmer stream temperatures near Delta through <br />operational or structural modifications to the Aspinall Reservoirs. However, a significant <br />consideration of any proposed change to the system would necessarily involve non- <br />physical factors including (but not limited to) lost hydropower revenue, state and federal <br />reserved water rights, interstate and international compacts, minimum instream flows, <br />recreational impacts, and capital costs. A summary of these and other constraints was <br />compiled through numerous conversations with local, state, and federal agency personnel <br />and other parties with an interest in the Recovery Program. A description of the <br />constraints and their potential impacts on the Program's ability to control water <br />temperatures are provided in the report. <br />Modeling Recommendations. Based on the data analysis, we strongly recommend <br />modeling all 3 Aspinall reservoirs, using QUAL-W2, and amulti-variate`statistieal model <br />of Gunnison River temperatures. Stratification of Morrow Point and Crystal Reservoirs is <br />complicated by hypolimnetic inflows from Blue Mesa, and a mechanistic model is <br />needed to predict changes in stratification due to a TCD. <br />Results from these model outputs in phase II would answer several questions, including: <br />1. Would a TCD at Blue Mesa result in warmer release temperatures at Crystal? <br />2. If so, how much warmer would they be? <br />3. Would these warmer release temperatures translate into warmer river temperatures in <br />the area around Delta? <br />4. What are the benefits of a fixed versus variable height withdrawal structure? <br />5. How would a TCD impact the thermal structure of the Aspinall reservoirs? <br />Hydrosphere Resource Consultants <br />