WSP08195

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 4/3/1952
• Author: Policy-Review Commit
• Title: Gunnison River Storage-Memos-Policy and Review Committee - Report of Policy and Review Committee - Gunnison River Storage to the Colorado Water Conservation Board
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

\) l) [:2 e Cj

.

~

-.

'/

- 16 -

River Storage Project plan, clearly eliminate the storage of more than
the 110,000 acre-feet of water at this Austin site. (See Appendix E
hereinabove mentioned,)

8. That the total storage of 510,000 acre-feet of. water in the
Crystal Reservoir (proposed in Plan E), and.increase of 470,000 acre-
feet at this site over the capacity proposed under Plan A, will result
in the inundation of only the extreme lower p<;>rt~on of the C~m'}rro1'
Valley. Such inundatiqn wil:), inc ly.<;le the sett:l.~~el1t- at- Cimarronop
llig!nv1W 50 ~nd extend about four miles up the valley from Cimarr<;>n.
No appreciable amount of presently cult~vated or meadow land will .b~
affected. The stock ranches in the Cimarron Valley, in both Montrose and
Gunnison Counties, except for a negligible acreage, will lie above the
high-water line of the Crystal Reservoir. George CorJ, representative
of Montrose County on the Committee, was responsible for making contacts
with Cimarron Valley property owners whose lands and improvements would
be flooded by the proposed Crystal storage of water. The attitude of
these property owners was fo~~d to be very cooperative and is expressed
in a report hereto attached as Appendix Q,

9, That the enlargement Of the ~tsting Taylor Park Reservoir, a~
a unit of the Gunnison River storage and as a part of the proposed
Colorado Ri.ver Storage Project, lacks financial feasibility, The in-
creased storage capacity acquired by full control of the Taylor River
flow, exclusive of any importation of water to the watershed above that
reservoir, would be insignificant, L~portation of water to provide an
estimated 760,000 acre-foot capacity at this site, as has been suggested,
would involve excessive and unsupport~ble cost, Possible sources for
this imported supply of water are East and Slate Rivers, tributaries of
the Gunnison River, Anthracite Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of
the Gunnison, or Maroon Creek, Castle Creek and Crystal River, tribu-
taries of the Roaring Fork River, Besides the excessive costs, diver-
sion of any Roaring Fork Water, especially from the Crystal River, may
well compete with other plans now under investigation in Western Colorado,
for the use of the water of that stream. (See Bureau of Reclamation
Report to Com~ittee of January 24, 1952, Ap~en[~x H)

In order to make available incr"ased use of water for present
and potential development in tr.e U ppsr Q'J!",ison itiver Basin through
storage of water in the existing Ta;dor Park ;:eservoir, and to avoid
excessive fluctuations of stream flovl detrimental to fishery, the use
and operation of Taylor ;-'ark Reservoir for tile above purposes should
be inter,rated with that of the proposed Curecanti and Crystal Reservoirs.
These ~cjectives should be acco~plished by appropriate arrangements
with the Uncompahgre r.:ater Users Association &nd the Government, Under
such arrangements, it is understood that the water decrees of the
Uncompahgre via tel' Users on the river would have to be preserved. and
it is urGed and recommended that, in makinG such arrangements with
respect to such use and operation of Taylor Park Reservoir and
the release of water therefrom, so as t.o preserve th~ above-mentioned