Gunnison Basin Water: No Panacea for the Front Range

• File Number: 8230.2G
• Description: Related Reports
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 4
• Author: The Land and Water Fund of the Rockies
• Title: Gunnison Basin Water: No Panacea for the Front Range
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Table of Contents
Gunnison Basin Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover
Foreword ....................................................i
Executive Summary ............................................iii
1 The Gunnison: A Basin In Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A. The principal water facilities in the Upper Basin and their water rights ....2
1. Uncompahgre Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
2. Aspinall Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
3. Taylor Park Reservoir/Aspinall Unit Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
B. Existing Water Uses in the Upper Gunnison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
1. Out-of-Stream Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
a. Upper Basin Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
b. Lower Basin Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
c. Municipal Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
2. In-Stream Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
a. Recreation and the Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
(1) In-stream Flows Above Aspinall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
(2) Flat-water recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
(3) Recreational and Environmental Uses Below Aspinall .....11
3. Hydropower ..........................................13
4. Colorado River Compact Deliveries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
5. Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
C. Outcome of the Union Park Litigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
D. Conclusion ..............................................16
2 Moving Blue Mesa's Marketable Yield to the Front Range: A Myth .....17
A. Origin of Marketable Yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
B. Award and Assignment of Decrees for the Aspinall Unit ...........18
C. Marketable Yield and the Union Park Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
D. Future Uses of Water Released from the Aspinall Unit . . . . . . . . . . . .22
1. Major Conditional Water Rights and Their Relationship to the Aspinall Unit .......22
2. Endangered Species Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
3. Water Rights for the Black Canyon of the Gunnison . . . . . . . . . . . .26
4. Deliveries and Entitlements Under the Colorado River Compacts .27
E. 60,000 AF Subordination for Upper Gunnison In-Basin Development .29
F. What the Drought Tells Us About Marketable Yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
G. Other Hurdles to the Use of the Marketable Yield by the Front Range .29
1. Veto Authority under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act .......30
2. County Regulation of Facilities With a Statewide Impact ........32
H. Conclusion ..............................................32
Gunnison Basin Water • ii •