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<br />00074D <br /> <br />environment; preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement would not be required before <br />the action could be implemented. <br /> <br />Morrow Point Dam was completed in 1968 as part of the Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River <br />Storage Project (CRSP). Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal Reservoirs on the Gunnison <br />River are operated as a system to comprise the Aspinall Unit. Other features of <br />the CRSP include Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River, Navajo Dam on the San Juan River, <br />and Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. The Aspinall Unit is located in Gunnison and <br />Montrose Counties, Colorado, along a 40-mile reach of the Gunnison River as shown on the <br />Frontispiece Map, The Aspinall Unit is operated by Reclamation, while the land and waters <br />associated wi th the reservoirs are managed by the National Park Service as the Curecanti <br />National Recreation Area. Reclamation operates these reservoirs and power plants to meet the <br />following authorized purposes: <br /> <br />. Regulate the flow of the Colorado River <br />. Store water for beneficial consumptive uses <br />. Allow the Upper Basin states to use the apportionment made to and among them <br />throughout the Colorado River Basin Compact <br />. Provide for the reclamation of arid and semiarid land <br />. Provide for flood control <br />. Provide for fish and wildlife enhancement and public recreation <br />. Generate hydropower <br /> <br />Need: Action is needed to lower the water surface elevation of Morrow Point Reservoir to an <br />elevation of about 7,129 feet to remove trash and debris (i,e. trees, logs and branches) from the <br />power plant intake trash racks, <br /> <br />Purpose: The purpose of the proposed action is to conduct dam and power plant maintenance <br />activities to ensure continued operation of the Aspinall Unit to meet the above authorized <br />purposes. <br /> <br />Background Information <br /> <br />Morrow Point Dam. Morrow Point Dam was completed in 1968 as part of the Aspinall Unit of <br />the Colorado River Storage Project. The dam is a double-curvature, thin wall structure, The <br />dam is 720 feet long at the crest with a maximum height of 468 feet above the lowest point of the <br />foundation. <br /> <br />Curecanti National Recreation Area - The Curecanti National Recreation Area includes the <br />areas surrounding Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal Reservoirs, and provides recreation for <br />over I million visitors annually. Administered by the National Park Service, activities include <br />boating, fishing, sightseeing, and hiking. <br /> <br />Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National <br />Park (formerly National Monument until 1999) was established by Presidential Proclamation No. <br /> <br />2 <br />