CURECANTI UNIT COLORADO RIVER STORAGE PROJECT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary Bureau of Reclamation, Floyd E. Dominy, Commissioner CURECANTI UNIT Colorado River Storage Project
BLUE MESA DAM
GUNNISON
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The Curecanti Storage Unit is an will stand 340 feet above the original important part of a vast program to streambed elevation. A 60,000-kilowatt store, regulate, and put to widespread powerplant will be located at Blue Mesa beneficial use the waters of the Upper Dam. Colorado River and its tributaries-large and small. The purpose of the Curecanti Construction on the Curecanti Unit Unit is to control the flows of the Gunni began in 1961 with the relocation of son River, a major tributary of the Upper about 6 1 /2 miles of U.S. Highway 50 Colorado River. Three other such stor through the lower part of the Blue Mesa age units are now under construction Reservoir area. Portions of the highway the Flaming Gorge Unit on the Green will be flooded during high water per River in the northeast corner of Utah iods when the Gunnison River is divert the Navajo Unit on the San Juan River ed through tunnels around the Blue Me in northwest New Mexico; and the Glen sa damsite. During 1961, surveys and Canyon Unit on the Colorado River in other preconstruction work will be com northern Arizona. pleted for Blue Mesa Dam. Early in 1962, the contract for construction of The Curecanti Unit will involve the Blue Mesa Dam is scheduled for award. construction of two, and possibly three dams. They are the Blue Mesa Dam MORROW POINT DAM near Sapinero on U.S. Highway 50; the Morrow Point Dam near Cimarron also Morrow Point Dam, a 465-foot on U.S. 50; and probal,ly the Crystal high, concrete-arch dam, will be located Dam, which is still under investigation. 12 miles downstream from the Blue Me All three of these Curecanti Unit dams sa Dam and immediately upstream from will be built in the deep canyon cut by the point where Cimarron Creek enters the Gunnison River into some of the the Gunnison River. The narrow Morrow oldest rocks in the North American con Point Reservoir will have a total capacity tinent. of 122,000 acre-feet. Studies, now be BLUE MESA DAM ing made to determine the size of the Morrow Point powerplant, indicate that Blue Mesa Dam will store 914,000 the installed generating capacity may acre-feet of water in a large reservoir exceed 40,000 kilowatts. extending 19 miles upstream. The up per end of the Blue Mesa Reservoir will CRYSTAL DAM reach to within 5 1 /2 miles of Gunnison, Colorado. The dam will be built of a Crystal Dam, which is now subject bout 3 million cubic yards of rolled to detailed studies, may be recommend earth and rock. The 770-foot-long crest ed for inclusion in the Curecanti Unit.
COVER PHOTO: BLUE MESA DAM AND RESERVOIR
DPSU/Jun 62/ 5000 /REPRINT