FLOOD03331

• County: Gunnison
• Community: Uncompahgre Valley
• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: Uncompahgre Valley Reclamation Project - Hydropower - Part 3 - Environmental Impact Statement DRAFT
• Date: 4/19/1989
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Project

CHAPTER 1

PURPOSE AND NEED

charges to farmers could thus be held constant, or in the long
run, possibly decrease, while greatly improving system
efficiency. The Federal debt, which is not fully due until 2048,
could be repaid by 2004.

Background

The proposed hydropower development would be located within the
boundaries of the UVRP, which now supplies irrigation water to
nearly 86,000 acres. The project includes Taylor Park Dam and
Reservoir in Gunnison County, seven diversion dams, 152 miles of
canals, and 414 miles of laterals in Montrose and Delta Counties.
Water from the Gunnison River is diverted through the Gunnison
Tunnel and delivered by the South Canal to the Uncompahgre River
for rediversion to UVRP lands. The UVRP canal system and
irrigated lands begin about 6 miles south of Montrose and extend
downstream (northward) to Delta for 34. miles along,both sides of
the uncompahgre River. Figure 1.1 shows the location of the
major canals of the UVRP and other features of the study area.

Irrigation and water supply demands for the UVRP are met by
diverting flows from the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers.
Historically, about 505,000 acre-feet of water annually flows
into the Uncompahgre Valley. About two-thirds of this flow is
supplied by the Gunnison River through the existing Gunnison
Tunnel; the remaining supplies enter from the Uncompahgre River.
The average annual flow in the Gunnison River is about
1,360 cubic feet per second (ft'/s) upstream from the Gunnison
Tunnel, which is over five times greater than the average annual
flow of the Uncompahgre River near Colona, just upstream of UVRP
boundaries. Historically, both rivers carry high natural flows
during late spring and early summer resulting from snowmelt.

Natural flows on both rivers are now regulated by dams operated
by Reclamation upstream from UVRP lands. Crystal, Morrow Point,
and Blue Mesa on the Gunnison River together comprise
Reclamation's Wayne N. Aspinall Unit. Ridgway Dam on the
Uncompahgre River is part of Reclamation's Dallas Creek Project.
Taylor Park Dam, which is part of the UVRP and operated by the
UVWUA, provides irrigation storage and is located on the Taylor
River upstream of Blue Mesa Dam. Figure 1.2 shows the location
of these dams.

The two rivers have been linked by a network of canals and
laterals since the early 1900s. The major features of this
linkage are the Gunnison Tunnel and the South Canal, which
convey diverted flows from the Gunnison River into the
Uncompahgre River. Portions of these flows are diverted from the
South Canal to meet demands along its length, including those of

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