Laserfiche WebLink
<br />More recently, recreation has become the other predominant factor in the <br />1 oca 1 economy. The Study. Area offers diverse recreat 10na 1 opportun it i es <br />I <br />throughout the four seasons of the year, with fishing the most popular <br />activity in terms of visitor days. <br /> <br />Water resources planning in the Upper Gunnison Basin began in the early <br />1900's and resulted in the construction of the second project ever undertaken <br />by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the Uncompahgre Project. The major <br />features of this project are the Gunnison Tunnel, Taylor Park Reservoir, and <br />792 miles of canals, laterals, and drains (USBR, 1982). The Gunnison Tunnel <br />diverts water from the Upper Gunnison River for irrigation in the Uncompahgre <br />Valley. Taylor Park Reservoir supplies water for irrigation, fisheries, and <br />recreation; it also provides flood protection on the Taylor River. <br /> <br />Subsequent USBR development work in the Upper Gunnison Basin resulted in <br />the construction of Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest reservoir in Colorado. <br />That project was followed by construction of Morrow Point and Crystal <br />Reservoirs, located immediately downstream of Blue Mesa (USBR, 1956). <br />Together, these reservoirs form the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit (formerly known as <br />the Curecanti Unit) of the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). The <br />Aspinall Unit has a total storage capacity of approximately 1,086,000 <br />acre-feet (af) and an installed hydroelectric power capacity of 208 megawatts <br />(MW). <br /> <br />Public Law 485, approved in 1956, authorized the Department of the <br />Interior to construct the Colorado River Storage Project consisting of the <br />Curecanti (now called Aspinall), Flaming Gorge, Navajo and Glen Canyon Units. <br />The Act also authori zed a number of small er projects to be constructed if <br />technical and economic feasibility were demonstrated and other specified <br />conditions were met. These projects were termed Participating Projects in the <br />Act. Two CRSP participating projects located in the Study Area have been <br />constructed by the USBR: The Dallas Creek Project and the Bostwick Park <br />Project. Another potential CRSP participating project, the Upper Gunnison <br />Project, was studied in detail, and several potential reservoir sites and <br /> <br />'\ .' <br /> <br />1-2 <br /> <br />I 10003133 <br />