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<br />, <br /> <br />-L -~.' ../" '; ,<.,~ ,.:.-.,,-~ j/>,..,.~ <br />o--fJf' }~ I ' '1 "'f' /':.' <br />/: _,' L.t/'. f _ "'_'./-';:~":'-v"_.~.-:!~ _/..1 __...,~ ~;.~ /",- <br />,.. . -:f'::" 1./ - ..-. ..., _. <br /> <br />5.: .,',."::",, .} n, STATE!1ENT ON CURECANTI UNIT, COLO., <br />t:.. /..' I'J P.. '. ,'. OF COLORAOO RIVER STORAGE PROJECT <br />'-"'-'./'- .~ _. r?--!.J. (Ji:>di1'ied Plan) <br /> <br />BR-4 Feb. '55 <br /> <br />The Curecanti unit of the Colorado River Storage project 1s <br />located on Gunnison River, a tributary of the Colorado River, in west- <br />central Colorado. The report of the Colorado River storage project and <br />participating projects of December 1950 included plans for development <br />of the Curecanti and Crystal reservoirs and powerplants. The Curecanti <br />unit reeommended in that report was for a reservoir capacity of 2,500,000 <br />acre-fe'lt. The State of Colorado requested that the reservoir water sur- <br />face is limited to elevation 7520 or a capacity of 940,000 acre-feet. <br />As a result the committee reports on the Bills before the last session <br />of the Congress contained the recommendation of the state of Colorado <br />that thH Curecanti unit be lilnited accordingly. Since the cost of power <br />produced by the smaller dam was somewhat higher than the cost of power <br />produoed by alternate means, we have e'ndeavored to work out a plan for <br />improving the economic feasibility of this unit. <br /> <br />Reconnaissance studies of a modified plan are now well advanced <br />and indJ.cate that a greater and more economical utilization of the power <br />resourC(IS on the Gunnison River could be made by adding two dams and power- <br />plants between the Curecanti and Crystal Reservoir sites. The resulting <br />unit would consist of an int.egrated system of four dams and powerplants. <br />It is planned prinarily for hydroelectric development and would also pro- <br />vide benefits from flood control, recreation, and ultimately from irriga- <br />tion and other uses dependent upon river regulation or replacement storage. <br />The rese,rvoirs would extend some 40 miles along a section of the Gunnison <br />River be,tween the town of Gunnison and the Black Canyon National Monument <br />but would lie above and outside too boundary of the monument. Each of the <br />featuref: included in the unit under the modified plan would be dependent <br />for maxi.mum economy upon other features of the unit, and each feature <br />would be justified economically for inclusion in the unit. <br /> <br />The Curecanti Reservoir would be formed by the Blue Mesa Dam. <br />It woulc. be the largest and uppermost of the four reservoirs in the <br />system md 170uld provide the major portion of the system's stre!llll regu- <br />lation. The three downstream reservoirs referred to as the Narrow Gauge, <br />Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs, in that order, would be primarily <br />for dev-elopment of power head with only nolllinal active storage capacities. <br />Sufficient active capacity, however, Vlould be provided at the lIorrOVl <br />Point site for some seasonal regulation of stream inflovrs below Blue Mesa <br />Dam. Sr[,all amounts of active capacity ,{ould also be necessary at the <br />three downstream sites for successive re-regulation of releases from up- <br />stream reservoirs to permit flexibility of pOl1er production in conformance <br />with power load patterns. Releases from the Crystal Reservoir, the lowest <br />site in tbe system, would be maintained to provide optimum use of water <br />downstream for irrigation and other uses in addition to generation of <br />power at the Crystal site. <br /> <br />76166 <br />