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<br />oa1l7 H <br /> <br />Gunnison River would be established and the reservoir draw down might be temporarily <br />stopped if turbidity readings exceed desired conditions. <br /> <br />Aspinall Operations <br /> <br />Releases from the Aspinall Unit and flows below the Gunnison Tunnel would be unaffected by <br />the project. Releases from Blue Mesa Dam during the draw down would be reduced to facilitate <br />the draw down and gradually increased during the refill. Blue Mesa and Morrow Point Dam <br />releases would be adjusted by Reclamation as needed to control Morrow Point Reservoir's <br />elevation at or near 7,129 ft. and protect downstream water quality. During the draw down, Blue <br />Mesa releases could be made as peaking releases or uniform releases: Reclamation proposes to <br />use peak releases, with a commitment to make 'adjustments as needed to protect downstream <br />water quality. Gunnison Tunnel diversions will also not be affected. <br /> <br />Other Alternatives Eliminated for Detailed Analysis <br /> <br />Other alternatives considered but eliminated from detailed analysis included: <br /> <br />}, Using divers to clean the trash rack without a reservoir draw down. This alternative was <br />not considered feasible because of the reduced diver's bottom time (time actually <br />cleaning the trash racks). Under the proposed plan, divers would be working in 30 feet of <br />water, compared to 60 feet of water without the reservoir draw down, <br /> <br />2. Draw down of Morrow Point Reservoir to elevation 7,100 ft. and using divers or crane to <br />clean the trash rack, This alternative was originally proposed but has been eliminated <br />because of landslide issues and the cost of monitoring landslide movement. Potential <br />impacts to downstream resources would also increase with additional exposed sediments as a <br />result of the additional reservoir draw down. <br /> <br />3. Timing of Reservoir Draw Down, Alternate times of year for implementing the trash rack <br />cleaning project were considered but found not feasible. A reservoir drawn down in the <br />spring was considered not feasible because it could trigger landslide movements with <br />saturated soils. A winter reservoir draw down was also considered not feasible because of <br />potential trash rack icing problems and inclement weather. <br /> <br />6 <br />