Gunnison_BasinReport_200407 - Laserfiche WebLink

"free water" which effectively eliminated the large senior downstream calls by the Austin and Redlands water rights. Future administration of the Gunnison may be affected by the National Park Service (NPS) decreed reserved water right for instream flow purposes on the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. In addition to this reserved water right, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service have also adopted flow recommendations for the Gunnison River that could potentially affect administration. Future administration and/or reservoir operations in the Gunnison may also be affected by activities and projects in the Recovery Program for Endangered Fish. Under the Endangered Species Act, four Colorado River native fish species are listed as endangered: Colorado pikeminnow (a.k.a. Colorado squawfish), humpback chub, bonytail chub, and razorback sucker. In 1988, the States of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, water users, hydropower customers, environmental organizations, and federal agencies developed a program to recover these species while allowing water use to continue and up to 50,000 acre-feet/year of new consumptive use to be developed. As part of the recovery efforts, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has altered the timing and releases from the Aspinall Unit dams to help researchers refine habitat requirements of the endangered fish. The result of this research will help in preparing new biological opinions on current reservoir operations and, potentially, determine future revisions to operations. The Colorado River Salinity Control Program is an ongoing effort to decrease salinity levels from the upper Colorado River basin mainstem and tributaries. The Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service have recommended a variety of salinity control measures in the lower Gunnison basin, including the Uncompahgre River, that could affect future irrigation methods and basin operations. Gunnison River Basin Information 1-5