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Bureau opposes gorge plan BOb Sllbern.gel Oa"vSoml,n(tI ~IOSTROSE - The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation opposes a proposal to mon" water rights from the Gun- nison Gorge to upstream reser- \'0IT5, a bureau official said today. "We don't think it's \'alid to use the Aspinall unit to mitigate water rights for pri\'ate water projects." said Wayne Cook, regional director of the Bureau's Division of Waler :lnd Land in Salt Lake City. The proposal. announced last week, calls for the cit)' or Delta and the Colorado-Ute Electric Associa- tIOn to give up their water rights in the Gunnison Gorge area in ex. change for water rights in the Aspi- nall Storage Unit that includes Blue Mesa Resenioir. .; .,.. . Such an exchange would elimi- nate conOicts O\'er proposed 'oA;ater prOjects in lhe Gunnison .Gorge Proposal' . ~.~, 'i .:R;7"' , ~. l~- . .':>, .~".J ~" .f . :~1 . ,"f. ,. - ',' "'z" t...... . l"'-_O U.S. Rep. Mike Strang u.s. Rep. ~Iike Strang, R.Carbon.... dale, could then proceed with Black Canyon legislation that in. eludes wild and scenic ri\'er desiit. nation for the gorge said Wa\"ne Keith, chairman of' an ad\'lsor)" group appointed by Strang. , How.ever, Cook said, tt'!.e.J?I9posal , I~l ~king Jbe Aspinall Uni\ tp pro. :,..~PI_ea:w ('brcl;. Proposal,jlagr 6:\ fromPagtOnt nde mitigation for something that doesn.t involve the unit. ""\"e're..sa)'ing if this (Strang's) legislation jeopardizes those t".o water projects, iI's just inappropri. ate to a'sk the Aspinall unit to gi\.e them .....ater to make up for it." Cook saId. ."We'd be happ)' to sell them water," ~,.., . Cook added. however, that the bt.:reau hasn't bt'en in contact with either Delta or Colorado.1,;te, only with Strang aide Jim Huska. "It's unfortunate we ha\'en't been able to talk With those invoh'ed yet," he said. ~ '.'~' This mornin!!: Huska said Stram: mieht.llo along-wlIh the proposal If the bureau accepted it. Strang "doesn't have an). deep concerns" with the proposal to mo,.e the water rights. but he hasn't ,.et decided to go ahead with it. 'Uuska said. There are some questions that must be answered about the pro- posal. Huska said. One is how the transfer of water rights to the fed. eral reservoirs might affect other customers of the burt'au. ...y_. A second question is how the pro. posal will afTect opt'rations of the power plants at the Aspinall unit By moving its rights upstream. CoJ!-. orado.Ute has proposed to obtain some electriclty'from the Aspinall Unit. and its requests could affect the operations. \ ' If the latest propbsal pro\'es un' .....orkable, Huska said, Strang is conSidering language similar to what Hank Brown has j~his bill for the Cache Ja Poudre Rh.t{. ,: That language would allo\\' .....Ild and scenic designalion but would not preclude construction of a res- enloir downstream of the wild and scenic art'a. he said Colorado. Ute's water nghts are for a reser. voir do.....nstream of the wild and scenic area. Ho.....e\.er. that, proposal \\'.ould not resol\'e questIons about Delta's water rights. which are within the proposed wild and SCt'nic area Huska said he IS hopeful the questions can be rt'solved. and Strang can introduce a bill on the Black Canyon, Gunnison Gorge and Curecanti Recreation Area .....ithin three weeks. . , , .~;.<, ka.,ci- ...::h~'L'L2i " -'~11,{'U.!, flu) 4-, (c((lL IIII- c; ;L/ ,f /9 fs- flllfI :1:17