Wayne N. Aspinall Unit: Briefing on Reservoir Operations

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Downstream from the National Park, lands are administered by the Bureau of Land Management as the Gunnison Gorge Special Recreation Management Area. In addition to the Gold Medal fishery, the downstream 30 -mile reach of river includes a designated Wilderness, a Wilderness Study Area, an eligible Wild and Scenic River, and special land use designations. Recommendations under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act were adopted to mitigate losses of big game and fishery habitat associated with inundation by the Unit reservoirs. Reclamation has completed acquisition and development of big game areas and has acquired about 14 miles of fishing access along the Gunnison River and on tributaries upstream and downstream of the Unit. Recent and ongoing acquisitions of streamside interests involve coordination with other federal, state, and local agencies along with conservation organizations such as the Trust for Public Land and Conservation Fund. The mitigation areas are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and /or the Colorado Division of Wildlife. In addition to the research for endangered fish, many other scientific studies have been completed by Reclamation and cooperating agencies to determine resource needs and how they would be affected by a change in Unit operations. This work includes limnology and fish population studies of the reservoirs, tailwater trout studies, creel census surveys, fish entrainment evaluations, river geomorphology investigations, and riparian vegetation studies. Flood Control Unit operations provide flood control benefits, both upstream and downstream of the reservoir. One of the operational sideboards for high water years is to keep flows from the Unit and downstream tributaries below 15,000 cfs through the city of Delta and Delta County area during spring runoff to reduce flooding. Coordination of the Unit with Taylor Park operations also is used to reduce upstream flooding. During the winter months, Blue Mesa Reservoir is drawn down approximately 30 feet by January 1 to reduce problems with ice jams and winter flooding upstream from the reservoir near the city of Gunnison. Related Projects Many existing water projects and activities are in place or are being considered for the Gunnison River Basin that affect how Reclamation operates the Unit. These include existing federal and state water projects, private water developments, instream flow filings, contractual agreements, proposed water developments, and others. Existing projects include the Uncompahgre Project which diverts over 300,000 acre -feet of water from the river through the Gunnison Tunnel. Taylor Park Reservoir, with a capacity of 106,000 acre -feet, stores water for this irrigation project on a headwater tributary. A 1975 Exchange Agreement allows exchange of storage between Taylor Park Reservoir and Blue Mesa Reservoir to benefit fisheries, recreation, and agriculture. Approximately 2 miles above the Gunnison River's confluence with the Colorado River, the private Redlands Water and Power Company 0