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CHAPTER III AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT The Federal Electric System in the Upper Basin Western Area Power Administration (Western) is responsible for the Federal electric power marketing and transmission functions in 15 Central and Western States. Western sells power to cooperatives, municipalities, public utility districts, private utilities and Federal and State agencies, irrigation districts, and project use customers. The wholesale power customers, in turn, provide service to retail customers in the market area. Electric power ' marketed by Western is generated by Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. Section. ' Western's Salt Lake City Area Office (SLCAO) markets power generated from four Reclamation projects in the Upper Colorado River Basin: the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP), the Collbran Project, the Provo River Project, and the Rio Grande Project. The largest of these, the CRSP, has generation facilities at Glen Canyon on the Colorado River; Crystal, Blue Mesa, and Morrow Point on the Gunnison River; and Flaming Gorge and Fontenelle on the Green River. Western's Loveland Area Office and its Boulder City Area Office also market ' power and energy from the CRSP. In 1986, the CRSP generated 10,700 GWhs of electricity and earned revenues totaling $134 million. In 1987, Western will market the Rio Grande Project, the CRSP, and the Collbran Projects as an ' integrated system with a single rate. This will be the Salt Lake City Area Office Integrated Project (SLCA-IP). The Colorado River Storage Project The CRSP units are undergoing or will undergo Section 7 consultation in the near future. If flow refinements are implemented to avoid jeopardy to endangered fishes, this could affect electrical power generation. Following is a brief characterization of CRSP dams in the Upper Basin that could be affected: Flaming Gorge--The Flaming Gorge generating facility consists of three generators with a summer season maximum operating capacity of 42 MW each and a winter season maximum operating capacity of 44 MW each. Each unit at Flaming Gorge is planned to be uprated to 50 MW within the next 3 years, though usable capacity will depend on hydrologic conditions. Aspinall--The dams and associated generating units of the CRSP on the Gunnison River are collectively called the Aspinall Unit. Crystal, the furthest downstream of these facilities, has a maximum discharge through the powerplant of 1,700 cfs or about 100,000 of per month. Morrow Point and Blue Mesa have maximum discharges through their powerplants of 4,500 cfs and 2,600 cfs, respectively. Reclamation has agreed with the State of Colorado that, when hydrologic conditions permit, a minimum of 300 cfs will be maintained on the Gunnison River beyond the Gunnison tunnel for the trout fishery downstream. III-33