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M COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD 102 Columbine Building 1845 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 March. 1975 FRUITLAND MESA PROJECT The Fruitland Mesa project is located in the Gunnison River basin of west-central Colorado. Project lands are located south of the Smith FOrk of the Gunnison River and east and north of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison national recreation area near the town of Crawford. The project was authorized in 1964 as a participating project of the Colorado River storage Project Act. The Fruitland Mesa Water Conservancy District was organized in 1960 as the sponsoring and contractual agency for the project. This district includes portions of Delta. Gunnison. and Montrose counties. Plan of Development Water provided by a storage reservoir on Soap Creek and from Curecanti Creek will be diverted through the Black Mesa Conduit to supplement the flows of Crystal Creek. all tributaries of the Gunnison River. The releases from Black Mesa Conduit and direct flows from Crystal creek will be diverted by existing systems and by the proposed Fruitland Canal. The initial portion of the Fruitland Canal will be a replacement for the existing Gould Canal, from which water is presently supplied to the Gould Reservoir and Gould Canal. The Fruitland Canal would continue westward to provide irrigation for 16 proposed new farm units and to provide water for private lands not now being irrigated. A pipeline will be constructed to provide the Black Canyon monument area with approximately 15 acre- feet of water annually. Irrigation laterals from the Fruitland Canal will be constructed as needed to serve the new lands. Recreational facilities will be provided by the Forest Service at the Milly K. Goodwin Reservoir. Fisheries will be created at the reservoir along Soap Creek and at the privately owned Gould Reservoir. Irrigation replacements for the maintenance of a fishery pool at Gould Reservoir will be made, to the reservoir owners from Fruitland Canal. Minimum flows for fish will be maintained along Soap Creek, Curecanti Creek, and Crystal Creek.