FLOOD01459

• County: Gunnison
• Community: Uncompahgre Valley
• Title: Upper Gunnison-Uncompahgre Basin Phase 1 Feasibility Study Summary Report
• Date: 5/1/1989
• Prepared For: Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority
• Prepared By: HDR Engineering, Inc.
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Project

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within the six campgrounds located on the Taylor River below Taylor Park
Reservoir accounted for approximately 37,000 RVD's of camping use. In
addition, dispersed recreation activities in the undeveloped areas along the
lower Taylor River such as fishing, rafting, hiking, roadside picnicking, and
use of unimproved roads and pull outs amounted to an estimated 49,900 RVD' s.
The two forest campgrounds located on Taylor Park Reservoir received
approximately 22,400 RVD's of camping use in 1986.

There are about 750,000 acres of BLM 1 ands wi th i n the Study Area. The
BLM manages large tracts of publ ic land south of Gunnison in the Cochetopa
Creek, Cebolla Creek and Lake Fork drainages. There are four special
recreation management areas (SRMA) in the Study Area; the Cochetopa Canyon
SRMA, the American FlatsjSilverton and Lower Lake Fork SRMA, the Powderhorn
SRMA, and the Gunnison Gorge SRMA. These SMRA's received approximately
405,000 Recreational User Days (RUD's) of use within the Study Area in 1986;
154,000 of which were for water-based activities (personal communication with
BLM personnel). The Lake Fork drainage is BLM's most heavily used water-based
recreation corridor in the Study Area and receives about 85 percent of the
water-based recreat i ona 1 use cited above for the four SRMA' s. Di spersed
recreat i onal use of BLM 1 ands outs ide the SRMA' s is rough"ly estimated at
430,000 RUD's and includes mostly big game hunting and automobile touring.

The National Park Service manages the Curecanti National Recreation Area
which 1 ies within the Study Area. Curecanti National Recreation Area was
establ ished under the authorization of the Colorado River Storage Act and
covers more than 40,000 acres of land including the three Aspinall Unit
reservoirs. This recreation area experienced approximately 1,115,000
visitations in 1986 (personal communication with NPS personnel). A visitation
is defi ned as vi sitor usage regardl ess of time spent at the area up to one
full day. Popular activities in 1986 included lake fishing (225,000
visitations), boating (165,000 visitations); and camping (127,000
visitations) .

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