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<br />Aspinall Unit Temperature Control Study: The Upper Colorado River Recovery Program has conducted a <br />study of the feasibility of developing a temperature model for the Aspinall Units and the Gunnison River. <br />Once the model is developed, it will be used to determine the feasibility of constructing a temperature <br />control devise on one of the Aspinall Unit Reservoirs, presumably Blue Mesa, The Gunnison River <br />Temperature Study hopes to show that stream temperatures can be increased by several degrees Celsius in <br />endangered fish habitat at Delta through installation of a temperature control device, Staff has questioned <br />the ability to develop a useful model given the relatively small amount of temperature data available to <br />construct such a model. Experts experienced in modeling water temperature claim there is strong correlation <br />between water temperature and air temperature and therefore the CRRIP can move forward with <br />development of the temperature model. Staff will continue to monitor this effort to assure a useful model is <br />developed, Staff will also continue to request additional thought on other possible methods of raising the <br />stream temperature at Delta that are less expensive, less difficult to implement, don't occur above gold- <br />medal trout fisheries, and might achieve additional goals such as flood control at Delta, <br /> <br />Gunnison River Federal Reserved Water Right: The Colorado Supreme Court decided that the NPS <br />Black Canyon Reserved Right Filing should be heard in Division 4 Water Court, Objectors to the NPS <br />filing, including the state of Colorado, Colorado River Water Conservation District and Upper Gunnison <br />River Water Conservancy District, worked together to submit proposed conditions for a stay oflitigation to <br />facilitate negotiations, The NPS and Department of Justice received the proposal on March 8th, The <br />Department of Justice stated that they are postponing their response to the proposal until June because the <br />new administration at the Department of Interior has ordered an intemal review of the NPS claim and will <br />hold a meeting in early June to discuss, <br /> <br />Gunnison River Endangered Fish Flow Recommendation Update: The USFWS has proposed revisions <br />to their Gunnison Basin Flow Recommendations and are currently sending those revisions to the Recovery <br />Program participants for comment and review, The revisions address complaints from several objectors that <br />the USFWS incorrectly interpreted already published flow recommendations for small sections of the <br />Gunnison River produced by John Pitlick for the Recovery Program, The USFWS has revised their previous <br />recommendations to match Pitlick's work. <br /> <br />One improvement is that no peak flows are recommended in dry and moderately dry years, Another <br />improvement is that wet year peak flows will be reduced from 18,000 cfs to 14,400 cfs, which alleviates <br />concems of increased flooding at Delta, However, CWCB staff are concemed that the recommendations <br />now have an extended duration that may result in a higher total water request than the original flow <br />recommendations, This would severely impact Colorado's ability to develop and use its Colorado River <br />comnact annortionment and limit Rlue Mesa's ahilitv to store excess water in wet veac, for llse in chv years <br />iJT~L.r~ . ,';;;"-.. . -~...u ~UIiI~ <br /> <br />