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'-1 I r " -", r." ..;. ( ( 4-700 "I.-"J ~ UNITlll STATES DEPARTI1ENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREil.U OF RECLllMATION Region 4 Post Offic e Box .360 Salt Lake City 10, Utah January 28, +955 SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT ON GENERAL lNVESTIG~TIONS - Region 4 July th rough December 1954 Colorado River Storage Project, Colorado-Utah-Wyoming- ~!ew Hexico Region .3 has completed detailed field surveys for an access road into Glen Canyon damsite. The Echo Cliffs route was dropped in favor of the Bitter Springs route, which although slightly longer will probably require no tunnels and will be in less precipitous terrain. The Geological Survey completed installation of three new stream gages in the Big Sanqy Drainage Basin for quality of water studies. Gages now in operation pennit the sampling and measuring of practically all of the inflow and all of the return flow for the Eden proj ect . The effect of new irrigation development on quality of water will be deter- mined from these records for application in other portions of the Upper Colorado River Basin, Field studies of the without project conditions in the Glen Caf\;'on Reservoir area were initiated by the Fish and Wildlife Service. An agreement was reached with the National Park Service setting forth , the measures to be taken for the protection of the Rainbow Bridge National Monument. The plan favored by the Park Service involves a barrier dam outside the monument to prevent Glen Canyon Reservoir water from encroaching into the monument area, and a tunnel diversion of Bridge Creek runoff to an adjacent stream channel. Studies were undertaken to fonnulate the best plan of develop- ment for the Gunnison River above the Gunnison tunnel. Tentatively completed studies show that Curecanti Reservoir by itself is economically unjustified or at the best is marginal. However, the addition of one or more dams and powerplants downstream from Curecanti Reservoir would decidedly improve the economy of the Gunnison River developments. Work is continuing on the preparation of data for the congress- ional hearings scheduled for February or March.