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The Gunnison: A Basin In Balance CD mostly in the summer months. Curecanti National Recreation Area, which surrounds Blue Mesa, was created through a Memorandum of Agreement between the Secretary of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation in 1965." It relies on the expansive water rights of the Aspinall Unit (including Blue Mesa's second fill) to fulfill its pur- poses. Taylor Park Reservoir also hosts thousands of visitors each year and relies on the significant quantities of water secured to it under decrees and agreements. (3) Recreational and Environmental Uses Below Asoinall The Secretary of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation have the authority and obligation, under several federal statutes, to operate the Aspinall Unit for the benefit of fish and wildlife below the Aspinall Unit. Section 8 of CRSPA, the Act authorizing the construction of the Aspinall Unit, directed the Secretary of the Interior to operate and maintain CRSPA facilities to mitigate the loss of and improve conditions for fish and wildlife and to provide recreational facilities." In 1968, the Colorado River Basin Project Act established recreation and fish and wildlife uses as primary purposes of all CRSPA reservoirs, including the Aspinall Unit." In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act requires that federal agencies consult with the Fish & Wildlife Service and local fisheries agencies to improve wildlife resources and give those resource "equal consideration" with other features of water development projects. " In addition to these federal authorities, there are distinct quantities of water that already have been dedicated to preserve the river environment in the lower Gunnison. Below are brief descriptions of three environmental flows already in exis- tence: (a) mitigation flows for the Dolores and Dallas Creek projects; (b) a minimum instream flow for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park; and (c) bypass flows at the Redlands diversion dam for the benefit of federally endangered fish. (a) Mitigation flows for Dolores and Dallas Creek Projects The Dolores and Dallas Creek Projects are storage and diversion facilities in southwestern Colorado that create water release obligations from the Aspinall Unit. The Dolores Project, located in the Dolores and San Juan River Basins, utilizes water that would otherwise contribute to the flow of the Colorado River, just across the state line in Utah. This project is comprised of McPhee Reservoir, formed by McPhee Dam and Great Cut Dike, and the Dawson Draw Reservoir, which was constructed specifically for fish and wildlife enhancement and is supplied primarily from irriga- tion return flows. When first proposed for construction, the Dolores Project was expected to deplete an average of 131,000 AFA. The Dallas Creek Project, named for its location along Dallas Creek, a tributary of the Uncompahgre River, is comprised of Ridgeway Dam and Reservoir. When this Project was conceived, it was expected to result in additional annual depletions of 17,000 AFA. In the 1979 and 1980 Biological Opinions on these proposed projects, the FWS concluded that the cumulative effects of this proposed depletion of 148,000 AFA, along with the cumulative impact from related CRSPA projects, "is likely to jeopard- ize the continued existence of the Colorado squawfish [now called the pike minnow], Gunnison Basin Water . 11 .