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c' e-. '-. CHAPTER I G ENE R A L DES C RIP T ION . Project Plan The Smith Fork project in western Colorado would regulate surplus flows of Iron Creek and the. Smith Fork of the Gunnison River to increase the irrigation supply for 8,160 acres of land and provide a new irriga- tion supply for 2,270 acres. The flows would be regulated in a 14,000- acre-foot reservoir (13,000 acre-foot active capacity) to be built at the Cre.wford site on Iron Creek. In 100 years of operation sediment is expected to occupy 1,000 acre-feet of active capacity and 500 acre- feet of inactive capacity. Surplus Smith Fork run....off wtluld be brought to the reservoir by the Smith Fork Feeder Canal, a structure 2-3/4 miles long and with a capacity of 100 second-feet. Releases from the reservoir would be made into the potential Aspen Canal, a structure 6.6 miles long and with an initial capacity of 145 second-feet, that would serve lams along Cot- tonwood Creek and Grand View Mesa. This canal would replace the smaller hspen ditch now serving the Grand View Mesa lands. It wtluld feed exist- ing ditches, including the Clipper, the Grand View, and the lower por- tion of the Needle Rock, which would continue to be used under project development. In addition, four minor laterals would be provided to deliver water to project lands. Most of the water made available to Grand View Mesa and Cotton- wood Creek lands would be utilized as a new or supplemental supply. Some of the water 1 however, would replace direct flow diversions from Smith Fork, thus permitting additional direct flow to be diverted to the Upper Smith Fork Basin. The additional water for the basin would be diverted from the river by the upper portion of the Needle Rock ditch and other existing ditches. The supply for lands in Lower Smith Fork Canyon would be increased by additional return flow resulting from project development. The increased supply for these lands would be diverted by existing ditches. The Smith Fork project plan is correlated with a broad plan for the fullest possible development of the land and water resources of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The project is among the first developments recommended by States of the Upper Colorado River Basin for participation in the benefits and revenues of the Colorado River Storage project, the master project in the plan for upper basin development. Additional information on the relation of the Smith Fork