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<br />Concerning the specific operation of the Red1ands Diversion Dam, a flow of about 750 cfs is <br />diverted into the Redlands Canal year-round for power generation and irrigation purposes. <br />About 60 cfs of irrigation water is pumped or diverted from the canal to serve residents of the <br />Redlands area. The irrigation season lasts approximately 6 months from April 15 to October <br />15. The rest of the year, the power canal is operated solely for generation of hydroelectric <br />power. Redlands Water and Power Company operates the diversion dam to maintain the 750 cfs <br />flow into their canal as much as possible. <br /> <br />Absolute water rights are those for which decrees have been issued by water courts based on <br />water actually being put to use. They differ from conditional rights, where a decree is issued <br />based on plans to put water to use in the future. Redlands Water and Power Company has the <br />following absolute water rights, totalling 750 cfs: <br /> <br />670 cfs - priority date July 31, 1905. <br />Allowed uses: irrigation, domestic stock, and power generation. <br />80 cfs - priority date June 26, 1941. <br />Allowed uses: irrigation and power generation <br /> <br />There are approximately 45 cfs of absolute water rights between the Redlands Canal and the <br />gage at Whitewater, including the city of Grand Junction's domestic water right of 18.6 cfs (the <br />city also has a conditional right of 101.4 cfs). Both of the city's rights are designed to <br />supplement other supplies; the conditional right would be used by future enlargement of their <br />pump station. The operation and maintenance agreement for the passageway recognizes and <br />protects the City's existing and future use of their rights and pump station. <br /> <br />Water Storage - In addition to direct diversion rights, there are storage rights that allow a <br />water user to store water in a reservoir for later release when needed for a downstream use. <br />Stored water can be released for decreed purposes, and protected from diversion by all other <br />water rights, including senior rights such as the Gunnison Tunnel and Redlands Diversion Dam. <br />The largest single storage right on the Gunnison River is Reclamation's 939,206 acre-foot decree <br />for Blue Mesa Reservoir for use in satisfying purposes of the Aspinall Unit. A block of this <br />water--estimated at 148,000 acre-feet--has been set aside, in accordance with Biological Opinions <br />of the Fish and Wildlife Service for the Dallas Creek and Dolores water projects, to mitigate <br />impacts of those projects to endangered fish. It is this water that would be released and <br />protected from diversion. <br /> <br />River Adminilltration - Water rights need to be "administered" whenever sufficient flows in <br />the river are not physically present to satisfy all water rights. In shortage cases, "senior" (early) <br />water right holders can place a "call" on the river-a request to the State Engineer to force some. <br />of the water users with junior (later) rights to cease or lower their diversions and let the water <br />pass downstream to the senior right. A typical example of when water rights are administered <br />is: in a dry year, flows above the Redlands Diversion Dam fall to 600 cfs; in response, the <br />Redlands Water and Power Company requests a call to maintain their absolute diversion right <br /> <br />17 <br />