Wayne N. Aspinall Unit: Briefing on Reservoir Operations

Home Browse Search

and extremes ranged from 106 cfs to over 35,000 cfs prior to the Unit. Water Rights Gunnison River Basin water use began in the 19th century with the establishment of numerous irrigation water rights by individuals, organizations, and government agencies. There are more than 5,000 water rights for direct flow diversions presently in use on the river and its tributaries for irrigation, recreation, and municipal and industrial uses. The adjudication dates for these rights are varied, with many rights junior to the National Park reserved right. Significant senior diversion rights established prior to 1910 include the Gunnison Tunnel of the Uncompahgre Project (1,300 cfs) and the Redlands Diversion (750 cfs), located on the Lower Gunnison River 2 miles upstream from the Colorado River confluence. The Federal reserved right for the National Park (193 3) that is senior to the Unit's water rights (1957) is currently unquantified. In addition to water rights for direct diversions and instream flows, there are significant storage rights in place on the Gunnison River. The largest single perfected storage right is for the 952,000 acre -foot decree for Blue Mesa Reservoir. There are also numerous small reservoirs and several larger Reclamation project reservoirs on tributaries with storage rights: Taylor Park Reservoir on the Taylor River, Silver Jack Reservoir on Cimarron Creek, Crawford Reservoir on the Smith Fork, Paonia Reservoir on the North Fork, Fruitgrowers Reservoir on Alfalfa Run, and Ridgway Reservoir on the Uncompahgre. The storage rights for all of these named projects are junior to the National Park reserved right; Taylor Park and Silver Jack are upstream from the National Park. Because of the relative senior date of the unquantified National Park water right, there is the potential for significant conflicts with private and public water uses for irrigation, recreation, hydropower, municipal uses, and fish and wildlife uses, including those of the Aspinall Unit, that have been established since 1933. The State of Colorado also is concerned that the state's ability to use their Compact apportionment not be detrimentally affected by the reserved right or other Federal actions. Reservoir Operations Reclamation operates the Unit within certain sideboards including annual hydrologic conditions (snowpack levels and runoff patterns), senior water rights, minimum flow water rights, powerplant and outlet capacities, reservoir elevation goals, fishery management recommendations, and others. Certain sideboards can be considered mandates such as meeting senior water rights and flood control, while others such as reservoir elevation criteria to reduce landslides are given a high priority. Within these sideboards there is flexibility in planning operations. Since 1993, Reclamation has held meetings with affected individuals and federal, 11