WSP04343

• File Number: 7630.325
• Description: Wild and Scenic-Gunnison River-Curecanti Unit
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 12/1/1986
• Author: WBLA inc
• Title: Gunnison-Curecanti-Curecanti Instream Flow Water Rights Study
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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C. Water Rights Benefitting from Curecanti Subordination

The model subjects inflow data to diversions under the principal water

rights, and to aggregated depletions under water rights that are either

senior to the principal water rights or that benefit from the

subordination of the Curecanti decrees to 60,000 acre feet of upstream

depletions per year. Depletions that would benefit from the subordination

were segregated into those occurring above Blue Mesa and those occurring

on side tributaries between Blue Mesa and Crystal because the

subordination is not limited to depletions above Blue Mesa.

For the purposes of this study, it is assumed that the Curecanti

decrees will be subordinated to 40,000 acre feet of depletions above Blue

Mesa, and to 20,000 acre feet between Crystal and Blue Mesa. Except for

diversions to storage, depletions under the subordination are not

equivalent to diversions, which because of return flows and depending on

the type of water use, can often greatly exceed depletions.

The subordination of the Curecanti decrees to 40,000 acre feet of

depletions above Blue Mesa was represented by first postulating a

distribution of water rights above Blue Mesa as follows: The SED

tabulation was analyzed for District S9 (above Blue Mesa) to determine the

proportion of water rights which fell in each of five priority classes.

The priority classes are: 1) basin rank (BR) senior to the Gunnison

WBLA, Inc. 1909 Broadway, #3, Boulder, Colorado 80302