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"'~!""!C1 'J '_I _ 4 :.; J ., Reclamation delayed the issuance of this ROD until the National Park Service (NPS) completed studies on the Gunnison River related to quantification of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (BLCA) reserved water right. While these studies were being completed, Reclamation entered into informal discussions with NPS to determine if water f'rom the Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River storage Project could be contracted to the BLCA to provide long-term protection to the BLCA and,the Aspinall Unit. Both agencies have concluded that this could be accomplished and have agreed to formal negotiations. This contract would be coordinated with the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). II. DECISION Reclamation's decision is to approve alternative E of the August 1990 FEIS. The lease of power privilege contract to be entered into with the Sponsors will include and be conditioned on the Sponsors meeting and complying with all of the environmental commitments and monitoring requirements set forth in the FEIS, this ROD, and any other special conditions that Reclamation may determine are necessary to ensure compliance and enforcement of environmental commitments and monitoring requirements. In addition, the lease of power privilege contract will require that the Sponsors obtain a Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit prior to construction. The Section 404 Permit may contain additional environmental protection measures. Where Section 404 Permit provisions differ from the FEIS, the more stringent environmental commitments and requirements ,will apply. ".t ;j, ) :x III. DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES Five alternatives for the Facility were ' presented in the FEIS: they include the no-action alternative (alternative A) and four development alternatives: alternative B, alternative C, alternative ~ (recommended plan), and alternative F. The development alternatives involve generating hydroelectric power using flows diverted from the Gunnison River. Under all development alternatives, water would be diverted throughout the year from the Gunnison River through the existing Gunnison Tunnel, South Canal, and AB Lateral then to a'penstock leading to a ,43- to 50-megawatt powerplant on the Uncompahgre River downstream from the city of Montrose. (The Gunnison Tunnel presently diverts water primarily during the irrigation season from April through October.) The 'AB Lateral would be enlarged. A portion of the flows that would be diverted would be used to meet present UVRP irrigation needs. Annual generation for the development alternatives would range,from 245,000 to 280,000 , , 2 ~