WSP02201

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General Publications-Correspondence-Reports
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 1/1/1984
• Author: Various
• Title: CRWCD Publications - Waterlogue-1984 - Compensatory Storage-1985 - Waterways-1985 Annual Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

IHHf(;.\TIU' ~ Tht. artifidaJ distribution of wa!t>r un
the land surfat:t' to l'st.a.btish a crop or to int:rt'a"t' crop .\"ield
whl!rl' thl' pn'cipitution is inadt:.quutt'.

\11 '1\1l"\1 ~lItF \ \1 JT{)\\"~ - ~lon' atTuralt'h'
ul'sailx-G as instn-am flow daims, this nmn'pt is a cft-par.
tun' from tht. dll(.trinp of prior appropriation in that it
appropriatl's walN for Ust.' in tht. stn'am (0 sUpporl fish
and hahitat.

HLSU-{\E!l 11(1( THI\L _ Ht'St:'r\t's for the Unih'(l
States (;O\'pmml.ntthp nght tv wall'r for fc-Gl'rall.Uld ...;th.
dr<lwals. Thl' amount is dl'U'rminl'd by tlllo' purpo"l.' for
whit:h lhl' land WitS flri~rinally withdrawn and thl' priority
dah' would I~, thE' sanlt' as tht' n'ar the land was with.
drawn. Thrl't' Supn'rm~ Court dl'('isions tlin-'l'h>(lthl' h'(.h'ral
gm'l.rnnwnt to adjudicOih' its wal('r claims through statc'
courts and to quantify lhoS(' claims.

Dividends Exceed Investment

Few. if any. governmental programs in the United
States and in its history have or do produce the kind
of cornucopia of benefits that comes from the federal
reclamation program. In a nutshell. this program.
designed to turn the largest and driest region of the
country to the benefit of the nation. produces power,
food. fiber. !food control benefits, recreationa' oppor.
tunities. taxes and jobs while repaying 8t% of the
original investment to the federal treasury. Although
the total federal investment from '903 to date in
Reclamation is 57.6 billion, the economic benefit: per.
sonal and corporate income: local, state and federal
taxes, in '982 alone totaled more than 520 billion.

A Year of Reclamation in Colorado

Crop yalue
4.cres .rrigaled
Power prodUCed
Investment SirlCe 1903
Crop value sioce 1903

5395.7 million
1.140.307
1.4 billion k,lowall hours
51.3 billion
55.5 billion

A Year 01 Reclamation in the West

Warer delivere<l. all purposes
People served

28,8 million acre.-leel
21.9 million

Farms served
Acreage irngaled
Crops narveste<l
FQOd sufficiency
Crop yalue
Total crops to date
Part 01 U.S. fruit/nut production
Part 01 U.S, vegelable produchon
Power produced
Power revenue
Home power needs eqUlyalent
Power-oil equivalenl
Total power to date

151.000
10.635.000
58.4 m.llion tons
42.5 million people
S7.3 billion
S92 billion
"..
571l.t

49 billion kilowall hour$
$390 million
16 million people
81 mIllion barrels
1.2 trllllon kilowall hours

Flood damages averted
TOlal. 1950 to date

$106.6 milll()n
$2.2 billion

Recreallon yisltatlonS
Recreation. 12.hour days

15.8 million
42 million

Income lor people
Corporate income
State & localta.e-s
Fe-deralta.es
Fe-deralta.es.194()..1982
Total lederalllwestment to St'pt. t982
Payback 10 date-
Total projected repayment

S12.6 bIllion
$2.7 billion
51.5 biftion
53.3 billion
S37.9 bIllion

$7.6 billion
SI.7 billion
81....

.tny"tmt'nlsrelil!~IClfloodPfClt~tK>l'1,I\sJ'lilncl"'IdU""lIb1Ult I>O'i1lt"
i<>d SlII..t~ a,.. no! relmbursat>lO'
Sourc.., U,S. Bu'..... or "'KIlImaIIQr" mosl fllH:..nl y"iJI lIy""lab'" 1982

HI.:--;EH\ (JlI~ ~.\ natural or artificial place to slon'
Wall'r usually modlo"rating thl' strl'<lm flo.....s hy equalizing
thl' natural floud-drought cyell'. The benefits of pqualizing
thesl' l'xtremes were demonslral("Cl in a r{'Cent ~VE'n'vear
~rilXi. During the drought of 1977 rc"t.n'oirs using ....;awr
"l'arried over" from previous y(,MS. pro\'idt>d much nt't"Clt>d
water for pl'Oph'. communities, farml'rs. fbh and wildlife.
Tht' saml' n'~{'rvuirs Wl'rt' USt"C1 during the flood flow )'l'ars
of HH-:! and lYI".! to cut thl' top off those flows substan.
tiall.... r{'(luring: damagt' dUt, tu flooding. .\Iost resen'oirs are
multipurpoS{' pw\'iding waler for irrigation, h....drol'll'l,tric
IXlwer gpll('ration, n'l'n'ation. rin'r hahitat t'nhanct:'ment
and Illunicipal ;:Ind inuu.'<triaJ watN sllpplil'S.

HII'\IU \\\I'I'l{llI'Hl \1 If)'\ sY....n. \lS - Tht'
riparian S....Stl'lll. ust.->O mainly in the East. simpl.... ~rj\"t's USl'
of a stn'am to tho'-,(' owning IUlld along its hanks. Color<ldo
ust.'s thl' dOi'lrinl' of prior appropriation. or first.in.[inlt'.
first.in.right. which trl'ats watl'f a.'< a st'jJaratl' pnlllt'rty
righL Othl'f slates USt' a comhination of t It' two systems.

Hl\OH - Th(. flow of \In'eipitati(ln on a natural sur-
facl' course to str(.ams. T lOugh tht, Il'rm indudt.s lhe
drainllgt' of rain. in this n'l--rion it is ust.-G primarily to
d('scril)(-' th(' lj()-day pt'riod in lht' spring wlwn the moun.
tam snnwpa('k or wintt'r's accumulation of snow mt"lts.
Colorado gt'ts mosl of its walt'r during I hp pl'riod of spring
runoff. .

<o;\I.I.'ITY - Heft'rs to ("hl.miral compounds dissoln'(l
in rin'r water sUl'h as sodium chloridE'. which is common
salt, ami sodium hiearhonatt'. Iiml,sLOIlt,- and K\"psum. The
C'ulor<-tdo Hin'r now carries about tpn million tons of salt
p('r :n'ar, contribulf'(l about t'qually from man.madt' and
natural sOllrn's. :\ compreh('nsi\'e salinity conlrol proh'Tam
which is undl'rW<l\' throughoul the hasin is aiml>d at ((>duc-
ing sal~nity ton.n-a1;<:' hy ollt~fifth at an 1'\"(.'I1tUal cost of
approxllnatd.... :-:;1 hillion.

TH.\'....\HH 'T\I\ HI\ EKSICI.'\S - T'ransmountain
or transhasin din'r~i()n rt-'pn'so'llts the remo\'al of water
from its natural ('our~l' In another hasin Lhus aff('(.ting tht'
l'ntirt. basin from which it .....as taken. Thl' dk'Ct of a diver.
sion at thl' Iwad.\;a[l'rs of a hasin is ft'lt al tilt' otlwr end
of the hasin !)i'l'i1t!S(' of tht, constant re-ust' of Lht" .....at-i.'r
through a hasin. llin'rsions from ,ht' ht'ildwah'rs of a rin'r
also take the highpst quality water from a basin thus
diminishinj.! w<lt('r quality downslream.

\\" nUt ('( 1.'~EIl\ HI< 1'\ - The wisi' Ust.' of watN \.\;lh
Illf'thods ranh,ring from mort' pfficil'nt pnU'tkes in farm.
honw and industry to capturing .....att'f for liS(' through
walt'r sturagt' or ('on"t'r\,<I[ion llroJt"C.ts.

\\' \'1 LH IlI:-;TlU( h - Therlo" is a difft'n'nt:e I>t'l.....t>t'n
Ctlll~'r\.ann. districts and eonSi'rvatinn districts. Thl'rt' art'
onl\' thn"(' ~atc'r const.'r\'ation distril,ts in Colorado. Eat:h
wa~ establisht"C! t'xpn'ssl.\" by statute. encompass Sf:'\'eral
countic's. funl.tion primarily as policy hoards and an' pro-
hihited from going into dt'iJL Thl' thn't' water c(ln~'r..ation
districts art' tht' Colorado Hi\'l'r. Hio (irandl' and South-
westt'm, \\"atpr con~'n'anC\' districts. of which Ihl'fl' an'
many. an' usually projf'l'l:spt,t..ific agt'ncit's working in
t'()(lpt'ralion .....ith the U.S. BUfl'ilU of Hedamation.

\\"\TEI: HlIdlT-., -;\ S('par<ll(' propt'rty right in lht'
state of Colorado that Pntilll's tht' holdf'r to lakc' a spt'l'ifk
amount Ilf walt'r from a specific point for a spt:'l'ific liSt'.
lInd.'r tht, dOt...trint' of prior appropriations.. which is
emhodiL>d in Colorado's constitution. thc' dah' of rights i"
of lTitil.al impllrtancl' sinn' .....hl'n dt'mand l'xCl>t.-'ds the
amount of watpr, d("lT('(~h()lders with tl-w oldpsl rights gt"l
priority. ..\ppropriation is thE' E'stablishnwnt of a water
right by din'rsil'n. dm' dilib'l.'ncl' and !wndil'ial Ust'. It mU:-.t
1)(' adjudieatt'lltn "stablish Sj'niority of ri!!ht \djudkation
i~ tht, judkiaJ d,'t'rl"t-' dating- a watl'r right.