WSP05499

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 4/1/1997
• Author: Mueller and Hiebert
• Title: Assessment of Kokanee Salmon Transport through Blue Mesa Powerplant - Colorado - During the Spring and Summer of 1994-1996
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Studies were initiated in 1994 by the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation), U.S. Geological Survey (then National Biological
Survey), and Colorado State University to investigate the
limnology and fishery of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Colorado State
University conducted limnological investigations and assisted
with vertical gill netting.

This report discusses the extent that sport fish are passing
through the Blue Mesa Powerplant. The analysis is composed of
two primary features: the first focusses on the numbers, species,
and life stages of fish passing through the powerplant, and the
second examined the pelagic reservoir fishery from which these
losses were occurring.

We also attempted to determine if entrainment rates (#fish/m')
were affected by the volume of water released, time of day or
season and fish distribution in the reservoir and intake channel.
The combination of the two efforts; 1 to measure losses, and 2,
to quantify the reservoir's fishery resource, allowed us to
better assess the overall significance of these losses.

STUDY SITE

Blue Mesa Dam and Reservoir are part of the Reclamation's Wayne
N. Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project. The
Aspinall Unit also contains Morrow Point and Crystal Dams. These
three water control structures provide water storage and
hydroelectric power along a 60-km section of the Gunnison River.
Blue Mesa Dam is located about 45 km downstream of Gunnison,
Colorado. The earthen dam is 130 m in height, creating a maximum
reservoir depth of more than 100 M.

The reservoir is Colorado's largest, having a total capacity of
1.1609 m' (940,800 acre-feet) of storage. The reservoir is
approximately 42 km long and has a surface area of 4,173
hectares, at a maximum water surface elevation of 2292 M. The
reservoir has three major basins: Iola Basin located furthest
upstream, followed by Cebolla and Sapinero Basins (Figure 1) .
The reservoir's primary tributary is the Gunnison River, however,
smaller tributaries include Lake Fork, Soap, West Elk, and
Cebolla creeks which form large reservoir extensions.

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