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" "{# . . United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Western Colorado Area Office FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT SIGNING OF AN AGREEMENT CONCERNING THE ADMINISTRATION OF WATER PURSUANT TO THE SUBORDINATION OF WAYNE N. ASPINALL UNIT WATER RIGHTS WITHIN THE UPPER GUNNISON RIVER BASIN In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and based on the following, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has determined that the approval of the subject Agreement concerning administration of water of the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit (Aspinall Unit) will not result in a significant impact on the human environment. Reclamation constructed the Aspinall Unit in the 1960's and 1970's on the Gunnison River in west central Colorado under the authority of the Colorado River Storage Project Act of April 11, 1956 (Act). The purposes of the Act include regulating flows of the Colorado River to permit the Upper Colorado River Basin States to more fully utilize their allocations of Colorado River water as set forth in the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact. During planning for the Aspinall Unit, there were concerns in Colorado that water rights for the Aspinall Unit would preclude future upstream water developments and uses in the Gunnison Basin. To address these concerns, Reclamation's policy since the early 1960's has been to allow junior water users within the natural basin of the Gunnison River to develop up to 60,000 acre-feet of water without interference from the Aspinall Unit. A written Agreement is needed to formalize this long-standing commitment implementing the depletion a:llowance that was made by the United States prior to construction of the Aspinall Unit. Purposes of the Agreement include providing a method of accounting for depletions in the Upper Gunnison River Basin and protecting Aspinall Unit water rights and purposes. The proposed action is to execute the Agreement. The alternative of no-action would result in the continuation of the policy to allow junior water users within the basin to develop up to 60,000 acre-feet of water without formalizing past commitments and without a plan on how to manage, track, record, and account for water depletions. The proposed Agreement includes the following: -the depletion allowance (up to 60,000 acre-feet) for the Aspinall Unit shall be implemented only pursuant to the Agreement; -the United States agrees to subordinate the Aspinall Unit's water rights up to 60,000 acre-feet; by subordinating to the junior water rights in the basin, the United States agrees that such in-basin water users may continue to divert when the United States places a call on the Gunnison River under the Aspinall Unit's water rights;