BOARD00607

• Board Meeting Date: 11/22/1999
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

reasonably achievable. Reclamation has made a conunitment to publish a notice of its draft 1999 Criteria
e in the Federal Register and to allow 30 days for conunents.

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Gunnison River Basin Issues

Flushing Flows, Glen Canyon aDd Fish Surveys: On September 30, the Bureau of Reclamation
began increasing flows in the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge. Flows
were to be increased from 1,900 cubic feet per second (cfs) to about 4,700 cfs by October 3. They were to
remain at that level for 24 to 48 hours. After October 4, flows were reduced to 1,400 where they remained
for the rest of October.

Earlier in the month, Crystal Reservoir was lowered to remove debris from the trash rack and outlet
structures of the dam. This caused extremely muddY water downstream in the Gunnison River that
degraded the fish habitat. The muddy conditions forced the DOW to cancel fishery surveys that were
scheduled to take place in September.

To mitigate this event, the DOW requested that Reclamation provide a flushing flow for 24 to 48
hours to clear the river channel of the fine sediment~ released during the maintenance activities. Releases
from Blue Mesa and Morrow Point Reservoirs will be adjusted to meet the higher releases. This peak
flow needs to be completed in time for the beginning of the brown trout spawn, which starts about mid-
October.

Lowering the water level in Crystal Reservoir also caused Reclamation to increase releases from Glen
Canyon Dam from 19,000 cfs to about 24,700 cfs. l'he higher releases from Glen Canyon Dam increased
generation to offset lost generation from Blue Mesa and Morrow Point power plants.

On November 9, the Bureau of Reclamation began reducing releases from Crystal Reservoir so the
Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) could conduct a fish count on the Gunnison River upstream from
the North Fork confluence. Flows will be reduced to 700 cfs and remained at that level until November
12, when they were increased back to around the I,zOO-foot level. The lower flows allowed CDOW to
conduct fish surveys in the lower reach of the Gunnison Gorge and allowed the Uncompahgre Valley
Water Users to do maintenance work on their diversion dam. It also allowed the U.S. Geological Survey
to work on the Gunnison River gauging station below the Gunnison Tunnel Diversion Dam.

Workshops Held On Selenium Problems: Two workshops were held by Reclamation in early
November to obtain input from local producers and the public about how to reduce selenium in irrigation
drainage from the Lower Gunnison River Basin and from the Uncompahgre Project area. Selenium is a
trace element that is dissolved when water, used for irrigation or other purposes, passes through Mancos
shale soils found in this area. Selenium causes reproductive problems and deformities in fish and
waterfowl in streams and ponds. Several streams in the lower Gunnison River basin are in violation of
Colorado's water quality standard for selenium. Sponsors of the workshops included the Gunnison River
Basin Selenium Task Force and the National Irrigation Water Quality Program. For additional
information, please contact Mike Baker with the Bureau of Reclamation in Grand Junction at 970-248-
0637 or bye-mail at [e-mail].

Gunnison County Mapping Request: On November 2, we received a request from Gunnison
County for assistance in mapping identified stretche~ of rivers and streams within the county. Under
Section 22 of the federal Water resources Development Act of 1974, the Corps provides funds to states to

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