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(j r. '(' 'VoLV.' I - of Crystal Reservoir will create a minor potential for addi- tional recreation experiences. Ho~everJ because of the reser- voir being located in the bottom of a canyon with steep verti- cal side slopes, access to the water surface will be severely restricted. Potential areaS to develop recreation facilities other than boat access are virtually non-existent. There are two small areas available for recreation development; one at the upper end of the reservoir, which requires the acquisi- tion of 20 acres of private land, and a small area of public land below the dam just downstream from the Gunnison diversion dam. The reservoir will fluctuate radically, as much as 3 feet in 8 hours, which will present a potential safety hazard to boaters and recreationists attempting to use the reservoir and shore- line. The fluctuation may impair the ultimate recreation po- tential of this reservoir. Initial plan for development of Crystal Reservoir included a rather ambitious recreation de- velopment recommendation to serve an annual visitation of 20,000 visitors. The present recreation plan is being reana- lyzed to assess the practicability of the original plan, and changes that may be necessary with the concrete dam. The Curecanti Unit has already improved the quality of water in the river by impounding water-borne sediments. The Cimarron River which enters the upper end of Crystal Reservoir normally carries high sediment flows and the reservoir will be trapping these sediments. Sufficient storage has been included in the reservoir to provide for 100-years sediment storage. In addition, the 30-40 mile stretch of the river belo~ the Gunnison diversion dam has been transformed from a warm water habitat attractive to trash fish to a coldwater trout stream as described in Paragraph lIE. above. . Eight thousand feet of trout stream habitat will be altered downstream from the dam by channelization for maximum power head and obtaining concrete aggregate. The change to a deep, slower moving reach of river may be susceptible to modifica- tion in the interest of better fish habitat. This possibility has been explored with and will be further studied in coopera- tion with the Colorado Game, Fish, and Parks Division, and Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. Suggestions have in- cluded widening the channel in sections to provide shallow holding water and leaving large rocks in the stream to provide fish shelter. These modifications would also contribute to a natural appearance for the channel. The Gunnison diversion tunnel located below Crystal Dam, his- torically has taken most of the flows of the Gunnison River at 12