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<br />--- <br />I, <br /> <br /> <br />COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD <br />Fact Sheet: UNION PARK RESERVOIR PROJECT <br /> <br />UNION PARK RESERVOIR PROJECT The Union Park <br />Reservo,ir Project "Union Park" is a proposed water storage project <br />located III the Upper Gunnison River basin. The project proponent is <br />Arapahoe County, which is one of the fastest growing counties in the <br />country , <br /> <br />The Upper Gunnison River basin currently has average annual <br />outflows of approximately 500,000 acre feet after all existing uses. <br />The flows in the Gunnison Basin continue to grow until its confluence <br />with the Colorado River near Grand Junction, where an average of <br />1.8 million acre feet flow out of the basin annually, <br /> <br />Union Park is projected to divert an average of between 100,000 <br />and 150,000 acre feet per year, or approximately 7% of the average <br />annual outflows from the basin. The water would be stored in a <br />900,000 acre foot off stream reservoir and water could be physically <br />made available to both the Eastern Slope and the Western Slope, <br />(See map on reverse side.) <br /> <br />Union Park would divert water to storage under its own junior <br />priorities primarily during the spring runoff, It would divert very little <br />water in the drier months and in dry years. However, it would store <br />but substantial amounts of water in wet years which would be carried <br />over in the large off-stream reservoir. <br /> <br />For these reasons, Union Park would not require the dry up of any <br />agricultural lands. In addition, it would place a portion of Colorado's <br />remaining entitlement under the Colorado River Compact to beneficial <br />use in Colorado, <br /> <br /> <br />Due to its location and size, Union Park would guarantee <br />permanent stream flows on the West Slope regardless of the physical <br />water availability in any given year, Arapahoe County has also <br />stipulated with CWCB to recognize both junior and senior instream <br />flow water rights. <br /> <br />CURRENT STATUS OF THE PROJECT Union Park currently <br />has a conditional decree for 325,000 acre feet for hydropower <br />purposes, That decree specifies the guaranteed stream flows <br />referenced above, <br /> <br />The application to enlarge the reservoir for multiple purposes has <br />been in litigation for more than 10 years. The Colorado Supreme <br />(OVER] <br /> <br />PROTE(fWATER <br />J I I ,\JOUR<E. <br />. .. <br />. ~ 4 4 1 I <br />"4,' 4' j. <br />r--~ <br />~~. <br />- - =<< <br /> <br /> <br />- --~ <-~-.-.:- <br /> <br />As Colorado continues to grow, <br />its communities and economy <br />place greater demand upon <br />available water supplies. <br /> <br />Acquisition of adequate <br />renewable water supplies is <br />increasingly important to those <br />regions of the state which rely <br />on non-tributary groundwater, <br /> <br />The development of renewable <br />water supplies without the dry <br />up of agricultural lands is <br />important to Colorado's <br />diversity, <br /> <br />The full use of Colorado's <br />entitlements under the Colorado <br />River Compact is essential to <br />the state's well being. <br /> <br />Colorado must maintain control <br />of its water resources for the <br />appropriation and use by its <br />citizens, <br /> <br />- <br />