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Gunnison River---Multiple Users and Changing Demands Colorado Water Workshop 1986

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Gunnison River---Multiple Users and Changing Demands Colorado Water Workshop 1986 Eric Kuhn Overview: "Gunnison River---Multiple Users and Changing Demands Colorado Water Workshop 1986 The Gunnison River is formed by the confluence of the East River and Taylor River approximately 20 miles north of the Town of Gunnison. From its headwaters along the Continental Divide to the confluence with the Colorado River at Grand Junction, Colorado, the Gunnison and its tributaries drain over 8,000 square miles of land. Based on total annual discharge, the Gunnison River is Colorado's second largest river. Only in the mainstream of the Colorado River is larger. The Gunnison River is also one of the most developed and regulated rivers in the State of Colorado. The state's largest reservoir, Blue Mesa, is located on the Gunnison River. Blue Mesa Reservoir, along with Morrow Point and Crystal form the Wayne Aspinall unit of the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado River Storage Project. Together the three dams and reservoirs store nearly 1.1 million acre feet of water and have an installed hydroelectric generating capacity of 208 megawatts. Power generated by the Aspinall Unit and is sold through the Western Area Power Administration to preference customers, primarily municipalities such as the City of Colorado Springs. The Uncompahgre Valley Project was one of the four original reclamation projects authorized by Congress when it passed the Reclamation Act of 1902. The Uncompahgre Project diverts water from the Gunnison River through a six mile tunnel into the Uncompahgre Valley. The Gunnison Tunnel has a capacity of approximately 1,000 cubic feet per second and provides irrigation water for approximately 77,000 acres of agricultural lands. In 1937, Congress authorized the construction of Taylor Park Reservoir as a part of the Uncompahgre Project. Taylor Park Reservoir has a capacity of 106,000 acre feet. In addition to the Uncompahgre Project, three smaller reclamation projects are located within the Gunnison Basin, Bostwick Park, Smith Fork, and the Paonia Project. A fourth reclamation project, the Dallas Creek Project is under construction and nearing completion. The development of the Gunnison River has also contributed to the regions growing recreation and tourism industry. Recreation and tourism is now the largest single contributor to the economy of Western Colorado, including the Gunnison basin. The Gunnison River Valley supports a variety of different and unique recreation resources. Blue Mesa Reservoir provides some of the state's finest flatwater recreation opportunities. Forest Service campgrounds along the Taylor River are so popular they are overflowing. Both the Gunnison and Taylor Rivers are nationally recognized fishing streams. 2 The Gunnison Valley is rimmed by several unique wilde rness areas. The Crested Butte ski area, located on the East River, recently announced expansion plans that would make it one of the nation's ten largest ski resorts. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument is one of Colorado's most important scenic resources. This spring, Congressman Mike Strang introduced federal legislation (R.R. 4472) to create a Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The proposed National Park would include four segments. The three reservoirs of the Aspinall Unit and the Curecanti National Recreation Area would be the upper segment. The existing Black Canyon National Monument would be the second segment. The third segment of the Park would be the Gunnison Gorge downstream of the existing Monument to the confluence of the Gunnison and Smith Fork Rivers. This segment would be designated the Lower Gunnison Wild and Scenic Area. The f ourth segment of the Park would include lands adjacent to the Wild a nd Scenic Area and would be designated as the Gunnison Gorge National Recreation Area. While the agricultural sector of the economy has been stable or declining, the recreation and tourism industry has been growing at a rapid rate. This rapid growth in the recreation and tourism sectors had created both new challenges 3 and new opportunities for the traditional water user c onununities. The demands on the water resources of the Gunnison River have never been greater. The potential and existing conflicts among the stakeholders competing for the water resources of the Gunnison River are numerous. The following is a brief summary of a few of the public policy issues that will be encountered as the recreation industry in the Gunnison River drainage continues to grow: 1. Is it a lake or is it a reservoir? As the recreation economy around a reservoir develops and expands, inevitably a conflict is created between releasing stored water for downstream users and maintaining the reservoir at levels desirable for recreation purposes. The conflict is difficult to resolve. Generally, the businesses around a reservoir do not own the reservoir or the rights to the water stored in the reservoir. The downstream users own the reservoir and water but have traditionally not benefited recreation development on or around their reservoir. The demands for Blue Mesa Reservoir water, which include power generation, upstream depletions, release of stored water to maintain flows in the Black Canyon, and the release of stored water to meet the recovery needs of 4 endangered fish species far downstream may exceed the available supply of stored water. How can the operation of Blue Mesa Reservoir meet the downstream's demands and continue to provide quality flatwater recreation in what would be a National Park? 2. How much water is needed for instream flow purposes? One of the major issues of debate on the Gunnison River is the question of how much water is necessary for instream flow purposes through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison below the Uncompahgre diversion dam. Presently, the Bureau of Reclamation operates the Aspinall Unit to provide a minimum of 200 cubic feet per second (cfs) below the dam. Congressman Strang's bill creating the National Park calls for 300 cfs. The Sierra Club is apparently asking for 600 cfs. The issue is extremely complex. Flows through the Black Canyon, impact the operation of Aspinall Unit for power generation, upstream development, reservoir levels on Blue Mesa, and the recovery of endangered fish species below Grand Junction. 5 In stream flow issues go beyond the Black Canyon. What instream flows are necessary to maintain the world class fishery in the Taylor River? Are there streams in the Upper Gunnison where the fishery and recreation opportuni­ ties can be enhanced through the construction of additional reservoirs? 3. What is the potential for future hydroelectric development on the Gunnison? The Gunnison River already provides significant hydro­ electric power, but the river also has the potential to provide additional hydroelectric development. The City of Delta and Colorado-Ute Electric Association hold conditional water rights for hydroelectric power plants in the proposed National Park. A private developer has proposed a huge pumped storage project utilizing Taylor Park Reservoir. The Uncompahgre Water Users are in the process of developing hydroelectric facilities on their existing canals. All of these projects will have some impact on the future of the Gunnison. The hydroelectric rights in the Gunnison Gorge have created an interesting challenge. In simple terms, these projects are not economical in today's market conditions. 6 The cost of developing the resource far exceeds today's market value of the resource. But will that be the case 20 years from now or 50 years from now? Know one can answer that question. Congressman Strang's legislation proposes giving Colorado­ Ute the rights to obtain the power available from upgrading the existing capacity on the Aspinall Unit in return for not developing its project in the Lower Gunnison, but this proposal has been criticized by the existing users of Colorado River Storage Project power. Complicating the issue, there have been proposals to sell of the hydroelectric resources of the Bureau to private industry to help balance the federal budget. This raises very interesting questions. Operation of the hydroelec­ tric turbines in the Aspinall Unit are presently driven by both political and economic realities. Would this still be the case if an investor owned utility were to purchase and operate these units? 4. What is the future for water development on the Gunnison River upstream of Blue Mesa Reservoir? When the Aspinall Unit was authorized by Congress, it was anticipated that there would be additional development on 7 the Gunnison River upstream of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Of the 60,000 af of additional depletions anticipated, only a very small amount has actually occurred. The Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District is now examining methods to develop and finance its water rights in a manner that would enhance the recreation economy in the Upper Gunnison. In April, 1986, the City of Aurora, Colorado's third largest city, made a water rights filing for a transmountain diversion project. This proposed project would divert an average of 70,000 acre feet of water from the Upper Gunnison through the Continental Divide and Arkansas Valley into the Platte River basin. The threat of transmountain diversions from the Gunnison is not new. Aurora's plans are similar to those proposed in the 40's and 50's, and virtually identical to a transmountain diversion proposal made in the early 70's. Aurora's plans for a transrnountain diversion from the Gunnison are driven by realities of economics of supplying water to the Front Range municipalities. The metropolitan Denver area already receives a majority of its water supply from the West Slope. But those transmountain 8 diversions that are easy and economical to build have already been built. Future transmountain diversions from the Upper Colorado River are expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars per acre foot to develop. This high cost makes potential transmountain diversions from the Gunnison very attractive alternatives.
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