The Central Utah Project is a United States federal water project that was authorized for construction under the Colorado River Storage Project Act of April 11, 1956, as a participating project. In general, the Central Utah Project develops a portion of Utah's share of the yield of the Colorado River , as set out in the Colorado River Compact of 1922.
105-779: The Central Utah Project was authorized under the Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSPA) (Public Law 84-485) on April 11, 1956, as a participating project of the Colorado River Storage Project to help meet Utah's long-term water needs. As originally planned and authorized, the Central Utah Project consisted of six units or sub-projects: the Bonneville Unit, the Jensen Unit, the Vernal Unit,
210-664: A capacity of 5 MWh. The Spanish Fork Canyon Pipeline and Spanish Fork–Santaquin Pipeline will convey up to 10,200 acre-feet (12,600,000 m) of SVP irrigation water shares of south Utah County municipalities through the new ULS pipelines when space is available. The Utah Lake System yield includes 30,000 acre-feet (37,000,000 m) of municipal and industrial water that will be delivered into Salt Lake County;30,000 acre-feet (37,000,000 m) of municipal and industrial water that will be delivered to south Utah County municipalities, which will assign about 3,000 acre-feet (3,700,000 m) to
315-654: A final five projects to the participants list: Four projects, the Fruitland Mesa, Savery-Pot Hook, San Miguel and West Divide Projects, were later found to be infeasible and removed from the list. Fruitland Mesa & Savery-Pot Hook Projects were cut by the United States Senate in the Public Works appropriations bill of July 1977. The four primary units of the Colorado River Storage Project have
420-712: A future municipal and industrial treated water system. Water for use in Summit County is provided from Washington, Trial, and Lost Lakes in the headwaters of the Provo River or directly from the Provo River, both facilitated through an exchange with storage in Jordanelle Reservoir. In 1999, the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office initiated a request for proposals for a Lease of Power Privilege on Jordanelle Dam. A Lease of Power Privilege
525-520: A maximum output of 1,813 megawatts of hydroelectric power at any given time, comparable to a large coal-fired generating station such as the Navajo Generating Station . The Blue Mesa and Navajo Dams, built primarily to function for flood control purposes, have saved approximately $ 10 million in flood-related costs up to the year 1999. Additionally, the various units of the project have created significant recreational opportunities throughout
630-467: A national campaign to rescue the park. As part of a compromise, the proposed dam was stricken from the project and replaced with another dam in Glen Canyon , Arizona . Brower, who had not personally visited Glen Canyon prior to the compromise, later lamented the deal, describing it as "the worst mistake of his career" and "'the biggest sin I ever committed'". A revised, and slightly pared down, version of
735-400: A permanent supply of 42,000 acre-feet (52,000,000 m) of irrigation water and 157,750 acre-feet (194,580,000 m) of municipal and industrial water. It will provide sufficient stream flow to maintain fisheries in various streams in the Bonneville Unit area. It will also provide flood control, recreation, project power, leased power, and fish and wildlife improvements. The Bonneville Unit
840-791: A portion of its water for Bonneville Unit water supply. In exchange, the Bureau of Reclamation agreed to plan and construct the Uintah, Upalco, and Ute Indian Units of the CUP to provide storage of the Tribe's water. The settlement compensates the Tribe for Reclamation's failure to meet its 1965 construction obligations. Under the settlement, the Northern Tribe received $ 49.0 million for agricultural development, $ 29.5 million for recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement, and $ 125 million for economic development. As noted above,
945-774: A portion of its water from the Uinta Basin (part of the Colorado River Basin) to the Great Basin . The diversion would provide water supply for the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project . In exchange, the Bureau of Reclamation agreed to plan and construct the Unitah, Upalco, and Ute Indian Units of the Central Utah Project to provide storage of the Tribe's water. By 1992, the Bureau of Reclamation had made little or no progress on construction of these facilities. To compensate
1050-503: A way for the United States to control the Uintah people and assert their dominance. This military base ultimately resulted in the size of the Ute's land being decreased significantly. This massive military presence ultimately greatly decreases the size of the reservation. As the United States continues to push westward, they do so at the expense of Native Tribes. The US government tried to force
1155-516: A wetlands boardwalk and interpretive walk, walk-in camping, picnicking, river fishing, and bird watching in the riparian corridor. It offers visitors a quieter experience than Hailstone. Recreation and public use at Jordanelle Reservoir is managed by the Utah Division of State Parks under an agreement with Reclamation. Jordanelle offers ongoing interpretive programs for school-aged children as well as nature hikes and boating safety programs throughout
SECTION 10
#17328514197561260-562: Is a United States Bureau of Reclamation project designed to oversee the development of the upper basin of the Colorado River . The project provides hydroelectric power , flood control and water storage for participating states along the upper portion of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. Since its inception in 1956, the project has grown to include the participation of several related water management projects throughout
1365-641: Is a Proto- Numic language within the Uto-Aztecan language family. The language is still widely spoken. In 1984, the tribe declared the Ute language to be the official language of their reservation, and the Ute Language, Culture and Traditions Committee provides language education materials. There are two annual dances that are performed by the Uintah Ute. The summer Sun Dance and the spring Bear Dance were particularly meaningful to their tribe. Their attitude towards
1470-481: Is a large campground and day-use area on the west side of the reservoir. It is the side that experiences the most intensive use, including walk-in and RV camping, motorized boating, personal watercraft launch area, three group use pavilions, 41 family picnic sites, and a marina store and restaurant. It is the favored location for boaters and RV campers. Rock Cliff Nature Center, along the Upper Provo River, includes
1575-651: Is a partnership among public and private entities to provide for the non-federal generation of power on Reclamation facilities. Such leases are authorized under the Town Sites and Power Development Act of 1906 (43 U.S.C. 522) and the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (43 U.S.C. 485h(c)). A Lease of Power Privilege is an alternative to the development of federal hydropower and grants the lessee the right to use, consistently with project purposes, water power head and storage for non-federal electric power generation and sale by
1680-723: Is a water conservancy district organized under the laws of the State of Utah , representing local water users in a ten-county district. Congress responded to local concerns by enacting the Central Utah Project Completion Act on October 30, 1992. In the Central Utah Project Completion Act, Congress provided the direction for completing the Central Utah Project under a partnership among the Central Utah Water Conservancy District,
1785-471: Is a zoned earthfill structure with a height of 162 feet (49 m), a crest length of 1,997 feet (609 m), and a volume of 1,892,000 cubic yards. Steinaker Reservoir has a total capacity of 38,173 acre-feet (47,086,000 m) and a surface area of 820 acres (3.3 km). In 1993, Steinaker Dam and Reservoir began modifications to comply with the Safety of Dams requirements. The modifications included excavating
1890-715: Is administered by the United States Department of the Interior . The Tribal Business Committee is the governing council of the Tribe and is located in Fort Duchesne, Utah . The Uinta and Ouray Indian Reservation is the second-largest Indian Reservation in the US – covering over 4,500,000 acres (18,000 km ) of land. Tribal owned lands only cover approximately 1.2 million acres (4,855 km ) of surface land and 40,000 acres (160 km ) of mineral-owned land within
1995-670: Is developed by collecting and storing excess flows of several streams (principally tributaries to the Duchesne River ), purchasing water rights, using part of the existing water supply in Utah Lake , and using project return flows and high flows entering Utah Lake. The Bonneville Unit includes features that facilitate a trans-basin diversion of water from the Uinta Basin to the Bonneville Basin and development of local water resources in both basins. The completed Bonneville Unit will deliver
2100-1135: Is divided into six systems: the Starvation Collection System, in the Uinta Basin; the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System; in the Uinta Basin ; the Municipal and Industrial System, in the Provo River Basin; the Ute Indian Tribal Development, in the Duchesne River Basin; the Diamond Fork System, in Diamond Fork Canyon ; and the Utah Lake System, in Diamond Fork Canyon; Spanish Fork Canyon ; and Utah Valley . The Starvation Collection System
2205-856: Is filled by winter and spring flows of the Duchesne and Strawberry Rivers. Duchesne River water is diverted by Knight Diversion Dam and conveyed to the reservoir through the Starvation Feeder Conduit. Starvation Reservoir provides a benefit to irrigators along the Duchesne River in the form of water delivery in the late summer and fall when streamflows typically decline below the levels that are needed for irrigation diversion. Water stored in Starvation Reservoir provides 24,400 acre-feet (30,100,000 m) of irrigation water and 500 acre-feet (620,000 m) of municipal and industrial water for use in
SECTION 20
#17328514197562310-694: Is released from Jordanelle Reservoir or diverted under direct flow water rights and then rediverted from the Provo River into the Olmsted Flowline. From that diversion, the water is conveyed to the Salt Lake County area by the 38-mile (61 km)-long Jordan Aqueduct and to northern Utah County through the 14-mile (23 km)-long Alpine Aqueduct. Water for use in Wasatch County is released from Jordanelle Reservoir for delivery by local irrigation canals, current secondary municipal and industrial systems, and
2415-841: Is the major feature. Provo River flow that historically flowed into Utah Lake is stored in Jordanelle Reservoir and in Deer Creek Reservoir . Utah Lake water originating from the Provo River would be replaced by Bonneville Unit return flows to the lake, water rights previously acquired by the District in Utah Lake, direct releases of water from Strawberry Reservoir to Utah Lake, and flows that are surplus to Utah Lake rights. The municipal and industrial water for northern Utah County (20,000 acre-feet (25,000,000 m) per year) and Salt Lake County (70,000 acre-feet (86,000,000 m) per year)
2520-571: The Gunnison River in Colorado. It is the only unit in the project to be made up of more than one dam or reservoir. The Aspinall Unit was originally named the Curecanti Unit, but was renamed for former congressman Wayne N. Aspinall in 1980. Aspinall had been a strong proponent of water reclamation projects in Colorado and the western US in general, and was seen as a key opponent to David Brower in
2625-574: The Morrow Point Reservoir , putting it in the center of the Aspinall Unit. Completed in 1968, Morrow Point is the largest and most productive of the Aspinall dams. Morrow Point has a generating capacity of 173,334 kilowatts, making it the second most productive dam in the entire Colorado River Storage Project system. It provides about 60% of the Aspinall Unit's generating capacity. Additionally,
2730-476: The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and inadequate federal funding. By the early 1990s, the slow progress prompted state and local officials to ask Congress to empower the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to complete the planning and the construction of the remaining portions of the Central Utah Project, including the Bonneville Unit. The Central Utah Water Conservancy District
2835-493: The San Juan River near Farmington, New Mexico . The dam was completed in 1963, and was actually the first of the units in the project to be completed. Unlike the subsequent dams, Navajo Dam did not have any power generating capacity when built. A small plant with a capacity of 32 MW was installed in 1983 in conjunction with the city of Farmington to generate local power. The Aspinall Unit consists of 3 dams and reservoirs on
2940-699: The United States Department of the Interior , and the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission , a federal commission created by the Central Utah Project Completion Act. The Central Utah Project Completion Act removed administrative responsibility for the Central Utah Project completion from the United States Bureau of Reclamation , placing it under the Office of the Secretary of
3045-663: The Wasatch County Water Efficiency Project , and the Daniels Replacement Project Title III of the Central Utah Project Completion Act created the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission and gave it responsibility for coordinating and planning mitigation measures, administering funding that had been previously authorized for environmental mitigation , and administering funding authorized for mitigation under
3150-439: The 2000s but have thus far failed to restore the natural environment in the canyon. The project has changed the topography of the river with the heavy loads of silt trapped behind the dams deposited in the upper reaches of the reservoirs. These silt loads have filled up the inundated canyons and are now coming to the surface as the water levels in the reservoirs drop. The creation of large reservoirs and irrigation systems along
3255-608: The 4 million acres (16,185 km ) reservation area. Founded in 1861, it is located in Carbon , Duchesne , Grand , Uintah , Utah , and Wasatch Counties in Utah. Raising stock and oil and gas leases are important revenue streams for the reservation. The Tribe is a member of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes . The Tribe holds a 5% stake in the proposed Uinta Basin Rail . The Ute language
Central Utah Project - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-641: The Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies delivered a report with proposed projects to the United States Congress in 1950. Among the proposed projects was a dam to be constructed on the Green River in Echo Park , in Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado. The proposal for Echo Park Dam created controversy and sparked the ire of Sierra Club director David Brower , who embarked on
3465-487: The Burns Bench Pumping Plant. By the time that the dam and aqueduct were nearing completion, it was clear the oil shale production would not begin for some time. As a result, the Burns Bench Pumping Plant was not constructed, reducing the Jensen Unit municipal and industrial water supply to 6,000 acre-feet (7,400,000 m). Of the 6,000-acre-foot (7,400,000 m) municipal and industrial project water supply,
3570-607: The CRSP but are not considered a part of the project itself. Eleven projects were included as participating projects in the 1956 legislation. These projects include: Wyoming's Eden Project was authorized independently in 1949. It was tied to the Colorado River Storage Project by the terms of its own authorization. An amendment to the legislation in 1962 added two projects to the participants list: A 1964 amendment added three more projects: The Colorado River Basin Project Act in 1968 added
3675-566: The Central Utah Project Completion Act Office for in-stream flows; and 40,310 acre-feet (49,720,000 m), minus conveyance losses, which will be delivered to Utah Lake for exchange to Jordanelle Reservoir under the Municipal and Industrial System. Of the 40,310 acre-feet (49,720,000 m), about 16,273 acre-feet (20,072,000 m) would be released down the Spanish Fork River during the winter months, an average of 16,000 acre-feet (20,000,000 m) would be conveyed through new pipelines to
3780-407: The Central Utah Project Completion Act provided for the construction of the Uinta Basin Replacement Project to replace, in part, the Uintah and Upalco Units, which have never been constructed. The Central Utah Water Conservancy District completed the construction of the primary features of the Uintah Basin Replacement Project in 2006. Also, Public Law 107-366, enacted December 19, 2002, deauthorized
3885-400: The Central Utah Project Completion Act. Title IV of the Central Utah Project Completion Act lays out the mechanism for funding for the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. Title V of the Central Utah Project Completion Act contains the Ute Indian Rights Settlement . In 1965, the Ute Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Agency agreed to allow the Bureau of Reclamation to divert
3990-420: The Central Utah Project Completion Act. The first phase included the Syar Tunnel Inlet, the Syar Tunnel, the Sixth Water Aqueduct, and the Sixth Water Flow Control Structure, which together form a continuous 7.3-mile (11.7 km) conduit from Strawberry Reservoir to Sixth Water Creek and now discharges water into Sixth Water Creek. The second phase included the Diamond Fork Pipeline from Monks Hollow downstream to
4095-519: The Central Utah Project proceeded slowly because of: the complexity of the project; complex environmental analyses; and inadequate and sporadic Federal funding. The slow progress prompted state and local officials to ask Congress to empower the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to complete the planning and construction of the remaining portion of the CUP, specifically the Bonneville Unit. The Central Utah Project Completion Act ( CUPCA ) enacted on October 30, 1992, removed responsibility for completing
4200-436: The Central Utah Project, a federal water project, from the United States Bureau of Reclamation . For the first time in history, Congress designated a local entity (the Central Utah Water Conservancy District) as the planning and construction entity for a major Federal water project. Construction progress on the Bonneville Unit has been slow because of the complexity of the project, the need for environmental analyses required by
4305-437: The Central Utah Project, as originally planned and authorized, consisted of six units or sub-projects: the Bonneville Unit, the Jensen Unit, the Vernal Unit, the Uintah Unit, the Upalco Unit, and the Ute Indian Unit. The Bonneville Unit is in central and northeastern Utah and provides water for the following counties: Salt Lake County , Utah County , Wasatch County , Summit County , and Duchesne County . Bonneville Unit water
Central Utah Project - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-409: The Colorado River drainage basin to Spanish Fork Canyon in the Bonneville Basin. The Diamond Fork System protects the Diamond Fork Creek and Sixth Water Creek riparian areas from damaging high flows. The Diamond Fork System was constructed in three main phases. The Bureau of Reclamation constructed the first phase; the Central Utah Water Conservancy District constructed the second and third phases under
4515-425: The Colorado River Delta anymore due to usage and evaporative loss within the Project. This has reduced the size of the estuary at the mouth of the river from 3,000 square miles to fewer than 250 square miles. Invasive species have become dominant in the Delta and the loss of this habitat has had wider implications for marine life in the Gulf of California. Ute Indian Rights Settlement The Ute Indian Tribe of
4620-473: The Colorado River basin. The Colorado River Storage Project is made up of four separate units, spread along the upper Colorado basin and its major tributaries. Also included are several participating projects located throughout the system. As a whole, the system provides a storage capacity of approximately 34,000,000 acre-feet (42 km ) of water. This capacity is released to meet the Colorado River Compact's delivery requirements during periods of low flow in
4725-418: The Duchesne River as partial mitigation for the Bonneville Unit. The project has been planned in conjunction with the tribe and is intended to fulfill longstanding commitments to mitigate for impacts on wetland-wildlife habitats that arise from construction and operation of the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System and to provide additional wetland/wildlife mitigation to the tribe. Originally proposed in 1965,
4830-473: The Grand Canyon, and on to the Colorado River Delta created sandbars and beaches along the river's course and throughout its canyons. These floods have been replaced with metered releases of cold, sediment-free water which has led to the erosion of sandbars in the Grand Canyon that are crucial for wildlife and has altered the food web within the river with natural species being displaced by invasive species. Attempts to simulate natural flood cycles were started in
4935-413: The Gunnison River upstream of the Morrow Point Dam forming the Blue Mesa Reservoir , making it the first dam the river passes through. The dam was completed in 1966 and has an electric generating capacity of 86,400 kilowatts, or about 30% of the Aspinall Unit's generating capacity. The Morrow Point Dam impounds the Gunnison River downstream from the Blue Mesa Dam but upstream of the Crystal Dam, forming
5040-447: The Indians of said territory as may be found practical in Unita Valley”. The Act also appropriated 30,000 dollars for the comfort of the Indians who inhabited Uinta Valley. Utah Utes , including the Timpanogos or Timpanog tribe from Central Utah, settled there in 1864, and were joined in 1882 by eight bands of Northern Utes. As the United States began to expand, they created treaties, tract descriptions, and executive orders to outline
5145-413: The Interior. As a result, the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office, a branch of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science located in Provo , Utah , administers the Central Utah Project Completion Act and the completion of the Central Utah Project. That is: Title II of the Central Utah Project Completion Act: •*Authorized the construction of the Uinta Basin Replacement Project ,
5250-410: The Jensen Unit. Initial planning for the Jensen Unit in the 1970s anticipated full-scale oil shale production was imminent, requiring large amounts of municipal and industrial water. For that reason, the Jensen Unit water supply was skewed to municipal and industrial water development. The development of 12,000 acre-feet (15,000,000 m) of municipal and industrial water required the construction of
5355-402: The Morrow Point Dam is the first thin-arch concrete dam to be built in the Colorado River Storage Project system. The Crystal Dam impounds the Gunnison River about 6 miles (10 km) downstream from the Morrow Point Dam, making it the final dam in the Aspinall Unit. Completed in 1976, it is the last dam in both the Aspinall Unit and the Colorado River Storage Project to be completed, marking
SECTION 50
#17328514197565460-457: The Tribe for the Bureau of Reclamation's failure to meet its 1965 construction obligations, Title V of the Central Utah Project Completion Act ( P.L. 102-575 ), enacted in 1992, contains the Ute Indian Rights Settlement. Under the settlement, the Northern Tribe received $ 49.0 million for agricultural development, $ 29.5 million for recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement, and $ 125 million for economic development. The Ute Indian Rights Settlement
5565-400: The Uinta Basin. Starvation Reservoir provides an average of approximately 43,000 acre-feet (53,000,000 m) of water annually to irrigators to replace water diverted in the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System to Strawberry Reservoir. The reservoir provides fishery benefits and public recreation. The Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System, completed in the late 1980s, diverts part of
5670-595: The Uinta Unit, the Upalco Unit, and Ute Indian Unit. The largest and most complex is the Bonneville Unit, which diverts water from the Uinta Basin , a part of the Colorado River Basin, to the Lake Bonneville Basin. The other units were designed to provide for development of local water supplies in the Uinta Basin. The Central Utah Project develops water for irrigation, municipal, and industrial use; stream flows; and power generation. The project also provides recreation, fish and wildlife, flood control, water conservation , and water quality benefits. Construction progress on
5775-568: The Uinta and Ouray Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Indians in northeastern Utah , United States . Three bands of Utes comprise the Ute Indian Tribe: the Whiteriver Band, the Uncompahgre Band and the Uintah Band. The Tribe has a membership of more than three thousand individuals, with over half living on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation . The Ute Indian Tribe operates its own tribal government and oversees approximately 1.3 million acres of trust land which contains significant oil and gas deposits. The Northern Ute tribe, which
5880-472: The Uintah Reservation. Specifically, an Act before the 38th Congress in May 1864 was passed to vacate and sell the Indian reservations in Utah and to settle the Indians of Utah in the Unita valley. The vacated land was sold in parcels “not exceeding 80 acres each” and the sale of the land was advertised in newspapers throughout the territories of Utah and Washington. The Act also authorized the superintendent of Indian Affairs to “collect and settle all or so many of
5985-422: The Uintah and Upalco Units, transferring the authorization to the Bonneville Unit for construction of the Uintah Basin Replacement Project, Utah Lake System, and other Central Utah Project Completion Act purposes. The Ute Indian Unit included a pipeline from Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir to the Uinta Basin. Because of both engineering and environmental challenges, the Ute Indian Unit was never constructed. Under
6090-504: The United States to lead the president to believe that this would be a mutually beneficial agreement. Throughout his account, he repeatedly uses the expression, "mutual agreement." However, the Uintah Tribe has no incentive to want American military presence. This presence would reduce their autonomy and subjugate them to American rule. The United States' military presence makes it easy for them to kill or threaten any Natives, who oppose their rule. The presence of this military base would act as
6195-437: The Ute Indian Tribal Development Project is to mitigate stream-related fish and wildlife losses on Indian lands and other specific fish and wildlife losses associated with the Bonneville Unit. Bottle Hollow Reservoir was constructed to compensate the tribe for economic losses associated with stream fishing on the portion of Rock Creek located on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. With a surface area of 420 acres (1.7 km),
6300-412: The Utes in San Luis Valley , Colorado . Utes were one of the first tribes to obtain horses from escaped Spanish stock. Spanish explorers traveled through Ute land in 1776. They were followed by an ever-increasing number of non-Natives. The Colorado Gold Rush of the 1850s flooded Ute lands with prospectors. Mormons fought the Utes from the 1840s to 1870s. In the 1860s the US federal government created
6405-424: The Utes to farm, despite the lack of water and unfavorable growing conditions on their reservation. Irrigation projects of the early 20th century put water in non-tribal hands. Ute children were forced to attend Indian boarding schools in the 1880s and half of the Ute children at the Albuquerque Indian School died. In 1965, the Northern Ute Tribe agreed to allow the United States Bureau of Reclamation to divert
SECTION 60
#17328514197566510-445: The Vernal Unit began in 1959 and was completed in 1963. The Uintah Water Conservancy District operates the Vernal Unit. The Vernal Unit consists of Steinaker Dam and Reservoir and various diversion and conveyance facilities, including the Thornburgh Diversion Dam, the Steinaker Feeder Canal, and the Steinaker Service Canal. Flows of Ashley Creek are stored by Steinaker Dam, which was constructed off l-stream in Steinaker Draw. The dam
6615-400: The approval of the environmental assessment for the project. Construction of the turbines and generators began in late 2005, and construction of the building began in late 2006. The project is expected to be fully operational by summer of 2008. After completion of the ULS, the Diamond Fork System will allow for the full trans-basin diversion of Bonneville Unit water from Strawberry Reservoir in
6720-400: The aqueduct and storage in Strawberry Reservoir. Currant Creek Reservoir, with a total capacity of 15,671 acre-feet (19,330,000 m), diverts Currant Creek and five tributaries into the Strawberry Aqueduct. The Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System provides 44,400 acre-feet (54,800,000 m) of instream flows for fishery mitigation purposes annually. The capacity of Strawberry Reservoir
6825-437: The aqueduct were completed in 1983. Drainage facilities were constructed for about 700 acres (2.8 km) of project land. The construction consists of 6.17 miles (9.93 km) of drains including 1.4 miles (2.3 km) of open outlet drains and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) of closed lateral drains. All drains have a design depth of about 10 feet (3.0 m). The land requiring drains was identified as either drainage-deficient at
6930-419: The bed of Big Brush Creek . The crest length is 1,670 feet (510 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. Red Fleet Reservoir has a total capacity of 26,000 acre-feet (32,000,000 m), of which 24,000 acre-feet (30,000,000 m) is active storage. The reservoir has a surface area of 521 acres (2.11 km) at the normal water surface elevation of 5,608.2 feet (1,709.4 m). Tyzack Pumping Plant, near
7035-502: The clay foundation material downstream of the toe of the dam. Dam modification was completed in September 1994. The construction resulted in a stability berm at the downstream toe. The Thornburgh Diversion Dam diverts water from Ashley Creek and conveys it eastward to the Steinaker Reservoir by the 2.8-mile (4.5 km) Steinaker Feeder Canal. Reservoir water is released to Steinaker Service Canal and conveyed south 11.6 miles (18.7 km) to existing canals and ditches. Section 203(a) of
7140-433: The constructing the Burns Bench Pumping Plant has renewed. The Jensen Unit, as constructed, consists of the Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir, the Tyzack Pumping Plant and Aqueduct, and the irrigation drains. Construction of Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir began in 1977 and was completed in 1980. About 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Vernal, Utah , the dam is zoned earthfill with a structural height of 144 feet (44 m) above
7245-427: The dam in the beginning, later recanted his opinion and admitted that he had regretted supporting the project. Recent calls for the draining of Lake Powell and the restoration of Glen Canyon by environmental groups such as Sierra Club have resulted in the founding of several advocacy groups for the cause such as Living Rivers and Friends of Glen Canyon, as well as opposition groups such as Friends of Lake Powell. Given
7350-405: The downstream end of the outlet works of Red Fleet Dam, delivers water from the Red Fleet Reservoir through the discharge line to Ashley Valley Treatment Plant. It is designed to pump up to an average of 18,000 acre-feet (22,000,000 m) annually. The aqueduct is a pressurized pipe extending 11.7 miles (18.8 km) from the pumping plant to Ashley Creek. Construction of both the pumping plant and
7455-457: The fight to enact the Colorado River Storage Project. Brower was known to have fought regularly with Aspinall, going so far as to state that he had seen "dream after dream dashed on the stony continents of Wayne Aspinall". As a whole, the Aspinall Unit has a generating capacity of about 290 megawatts, or about 17% of the entire Colorado River Storage Project, making it the second most productive unit after Glen Canyon. The Blue Mesa Dam impounds
7560-526: The final completion of the system as a whole. Crystal Dam forms the Crystal Reservoir and has the smallest capacity of the hydroelectric dams in the system, providing some 31,500 kilowatts capacity, or just over 1% of the Aspinall Unit's capacity. A number of water management projects in various locations of the upper Colorado River basin are considered participating projects in the Colorado River Storage Project. These projects are financially related to
7665-795: The final planning document (the Supplement to the 1988 Definite Plan Report for the Bonneville Unit) l, which was approved by the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office and Reclamation on November 19, 2004. Contracts for implementation of the ULS have been negotiated and were executed on March 15, 2005. Construction of the ULS began in 2007. The Utah Lake System includes the following features: These features will deliver Utah Lake System municipal and industrial secondary water to southern Utah County cities; deliver water to Hobble Creek to provide June sucker spawning flows and supplemental flow during other times of
7770-432: The flows of Rock Creek and eight other tributaries of the Duchesne River and conveys the diverted flows through the 36.8-mile (59.2 km)-long Strawberry Aqueduct to Strawberry Reservoir . Upper Stillwater Reservoir, with a capacity of 32,009 acre-feet (39,483,000 m), serves as a regulating reservoir at the head of the Strawberry Aqueduct to provide temporary storage during the high runoff period for later diversion to
7875-605: The highest arch bridge in the world. It currently serves as one of only two bridges to cross the Colorado River between Lake Mead and Lake Powell, carrying the majority of the traffic between northern Arizona and southern Utah. The Flaming Gorge Unit consists of the Flaming Gorge Dam and the Flaming Gorge Reservoir , and the dam's powerplant. The dam impounds the Green River near Dutch John, Utah . Portions of
7980-465: The importance of the unit to the project as well as its impact as a tourist destination to the region, restoration efforts face significant opposition and there currently exist no plans to cease operations at Glen Canyon. Not directly a part of the project but built as a direct result of it, the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge was constructed over the river in 1959. At the time of its completion it was
8085-487: The lessee. By a process of requesting and reviewing proposals, the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office and the Western Area Power Administration selected the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and Heber Light & Power as joint potential lessees for power development at Jordanelle Dam. The Central Utah Project Completion Act Office and the lessees executed a lease agreement in 2005, after
8190-484: The local water users could use only 2,000 acre-feet (2,500,000 m). In Section 203 (g) of the Central Utah Project Completion Act, Congress instructed the Department of the Interior to enter into a contract to reduce the municipal and industrial repayment obligation to 2,000 acre-feet (2,500,000 m) and to describe the procedure for future marketing of the remaining municipal and industrial water. Congress also doubled
8295-544: The lower Colorado River states, California and Nevada . As a stipulation of that compact, the upper basin states were required to ensure an annual flow of no less than 7,500,000 acre-feet (9.3 km ) be delivered to the lower basin states. However, the annual flow of the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry in Arizona, the established dividing point, was extremely erratic, ranging from 4,000,000 acre-feet (4.9 km ) to 22,000,000 acre-feet (27 km ). This led to an inability of
8400-520: The lower Provo River to assist in meeting in-stream flows, and about 8,037 acre-feet (9,913,000 m) would be conveyed to Hobble Creek to assist in the recovery of the June sucker, an endangered fish indigenous to Utah Lake. The Jensen Unit, in Uintah County in northeastern Utah, serves Ashley Valley and the area that extends east of the valley to the Green River . The Jensen Unit, as originally planned,
8505-470: The mouth of Diamond Fork Canyon. The Diamond Fork System will remove a portion of the Strawberry Valley Project irrigation flows that were historically conveyed down Sixth Water Creek and Diamond Fork Creek. In-stream flows specified in the Central Utah Project Completion Act will be released into Sixth Water Creek and lower Diamond Fork Creek to enhance fisheries in these streams. The purpose of
8610-693: The mouth of Diamond Fork Creek. The third phase, now completed, bad a tunnel connection to the Sixth Water Shaft and Flow Control Structure, Tanner Ridge Tunnel, Upper Diamond Fork Pipeline, Upper Diamond Fork Flow Control Structure, connection to Upper Diamond Fork Tunnel, Upper Diamond Fork Tunnel, and connection to the Diamond Fork Pipeline. Flow control structures are located at Sixth Water Creek, Upper Diamond Fork Creek, and at Monks Hollow. The 19.8-mile (31.9 km)-long conduit will convey Bonneville Unit water and Strawberry Valley Project water to
8715-467: The otherwise arid southwest regions. The project has changed the ecosystem in the Colorado River, including in Grand Canyon National Park . Glen Canyon Dam in particular has been the subject of much environmental criticism. Water trapped behind the dams cools and drops its sediment load in the reservoirs. Natural floods of warm sediment-rich water flowing down the Colorado River, through
8820-470: The overall generating capacity of the project. In spite of its importance to the system, the Glen Canyon Unit has also been the source of controversy even before it began operating in 1964. Sierra Club director David Brower, who was partially responsible for the location of the dam as part of a compromise, later regretted the decision. Former Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater , who was a proponent of
8925-591: The plan was passed into law by Congress in 1956. The legislation called for the construction of dams , reservoirs and related works at Curecanti in Colorado, Flaming Gorge in Wyoming, Navajo in New Mexico and Glen Canyon in Arizona. All but the Navajo project were to include power generation capabilities; the Navajo project was intended as flood control only. Also included in the legislation were several related projects in
9030-670: The project has undergone recent planning revisions and a final EIS will be published in 2008. The Utah Lake System (ULS) is the final phase of the Bonneville Unit. On September 30, 2004, the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office filed the Utah Lake System Final Environmental Impact Statement l, and on December 22, 2004, the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science signed the Utah Lake System Record of Decision. The district completed
9135-667: The provisions of the Ute Indian Rights Settlement , the United States settled with the Ute Tribe of the Uinta and Ouray Reservation for its failure to complete the Ute Indian Unit. The reservoirs constructed as part of the Central Utah Project offer recreation opportunities. Jordanelle Reservoir is the newest reservoir, constructed in the 1980s. There are two main developed recreation areas, Hailstone and Rock Cliff. Hailstone
9240-646: The recreation season. Utah State Parks reconstructed and expanded the boat ramp at Rock Cliff in 2004. Additional parking was also installed to accommodate the increasing numbers of visitors. The Rock Cliff Nature Center received a Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Heritage Preservation . The nature center will use funds and CAP expertise to identify conservation needs of its collection and to recommend ways to improve collection conditions. Colorado River Storage Project The Colorado River Storage Project
9345-511: The reservoir provides fishing opportunities, wildlife habitat, and a basis for recreation-oriented enterprises to provide additional employment and income for tribal members. The Lower Duchesne River Wetlands Mitigation Project, currently being planned by the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office and the Ute Tribe, will create, restore, and otherwise enhance riparian wetland habitats along
9450-539: The reservoir spill over into Southern Wyoming near the city of Green River. Completed in 1964, the dam provides water storage and hydroelectric generation, as well as flood control on the Green River, the primary tributary to the Colorado. The powerplant in the dam has a capacity of 153 megawatts or about 8.5% of the entire system. The Navajo Unit consists of the Navajo Dam and the Navajo Lake reservoir. The dam impounds
9555-419: The river as part of the project has increased the surface area of the Colorado River and the length of time the water is held in the basin which in turn increases the amount of water lost to evaporation. Some estimates indicate that 8.5 million acre feet of water is being lost each year, equivalent to the average amount of water released from Lake Powell to Lake Mead. Water from the Colorado River rarely reaches
9660-399: The river's basin. The project's original scope, and primary focus, are the upper Colorado River itself, the Green River , the San Juan River , and the Gunnison River . Participating states are Arizona , Utah , New Mexico , Colorado and Wyoming . Attempts at managing the water supply in the upper Colorado River basin were first recorded in 1854 at Fort Supply in Wyoming, when water
9765-593: The size of the conservation pool in Red Fleet Reservoir to 4,000 acre-feet (4,900,000 m). The expanded conservation pool reduced the yield of the reservoir by 700 acre-feet (860,000 m) and thereby reduced the unmarketed municipal and industrial supply to 3,300 acre-feet (4,100,000 m). In the 1990s, Reclamation discovered that irrigation drains constructed as part of the project were delivering unacceptable levels of selenium to Stewart Lake. In 1999, Reclamation committed 780 acre-feet (960,000 m) of
9870-456: The system. While the dam is located near Page in northern Arizona, the majority of Lake Powell resides in southern Utah. With a total storage capacity of 27,000,000 acre-feet (33 km ) of water in Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon Unit accounts for over 64% of the system's overall water storage capacity. The 1,296 megawatt capacity of the dam's hydroelectric generators accounts for almost 75% of
9975-546: The system. Additionally, three of the units provide hydroelectric power to major markets in the southwest. Lee's Ferry in Arizona serves as the southern boundary point for the project, which encompasses the Colorado River upstream from this point and all tributaries. The Glen Canyon Unit, which consists of the Glen Canyon Dam , Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Powerplant, is the largest and most important unit of
10080-485: The terms of Native land and mitigate tensions. The Uintah Ute Executive Order was a key document in outlining agreements for the Ouray Reservation. Robert MacFeely wrote this executive order requesting President Grover Cleveland to establish an American military base on a Native American Reservation. This military base would ultimately end up becoming Fort Duchesne. Robert MacFeely uses specific language in his appeal to
10185-495: The time of investigation or likely to develop deficiencies after, the project's development. The Vernal Unit is located near Vernal, in the Ashley Valley of northeastern Utah. The Vernal Unit provides a supplemental water supply for the irrigation of about 14,781 acres (59.82 km) as well as 1,600 acre-feet (2,000,000 m) of municipal and industrial water for the communities of Vernal, Naples , and Maeser . Construction of
10290-436: The unmarketed municipal and industrial supply from the reservoir to Stewart Lake for mitigation purposes, which left an available unmarketed municipal and industrial supply of 2,520 acre-feet (3,110,000 m). In recent years, oil production in the area has boomed, and oil shale production is approaching feasibility. Accordingly, water user interest in contracting for the remaining unmarketed municipal and industrial supply and
10395-494: The upper basin states to meet the minimum delivery requirements to the lower states in dry years, and a loss of significant surpluses in wet years. In order to regulate the flow of the Colorado and ensure compliance with the compact, a study was undertaken that determined a series of dams and reservoirs on the river and its tributaries would be necessary. A joint effort between the Upper Colorado River Commission,
10500-558: The year, deliver water for supplemental flow in the lower Provo River, deliver municipal and industrial raw water to the Provo Reservoir Canal and the Jordan Aqueduct for conveyance to water treatment plants in Salt Lake County, and generate electric power incident to water deliveries at two hydropower plants. The proposed Sixth Water Powerplant will have a capacity of 45 MWh and the proposed Upper Diamond Fork Powerplant will have
10605-523: Was completed in 1970. The system provides water for irrigation and municipal and industrial use, flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits in the Duchesne County area of the Uinta Basin. Water storage is provided by the 167,310-acre-foot (206,370,000 m) Starvation Reservoir , located on the Strawberry River , just above its confluence with the Duchesne River. Starvation Reservoir
10710-551: Was diverted from Blacks Fork to irrigate local lands. Subsequent diversions of the waters in the Colorado basin led to preliminary investigations of means to develop the system as early as 1902 when the Bureau of Reclamation, then known as the Reclamation Service, was established. Serious consideration for the project began when the Colorado River Compact was signed in 1922 by the participating states, as well as
10815-930: Was enlarged from 273,000 acre-feet (337,000,000 m) to 1,106,500 acre-feet (1.3648 × 10 m) by the construction of Soldier Creek Dam on the Strawberry River. Some of the water stored in the reservoir is released to the Strawberry River to provide fishery flows, but most of the stored water is for trans-basin diversion to the Bonneville Basin. In addition to water supply, the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System provides flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. The Bonneville Unit Municipal and Industrial System provides municipal and industrial water to Salt Lake, Utah, and Wasatch Counties and supplemental irrigation water to Wasatch and Summit Counties. The system provides flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Jordanelle Dam (363,354 acre-feet (448,191,000 m), completed in 1994), near Heber City ,
10920-410: Was intended to develop about 22,600 acre-feet (27,900,000 m) of water annually: 18,000 acre-feet (22,000,000 m) for municipal and industrial use and 4,600 acre-feet (5,700,000 m) for irrigation; 444 acres (180 ha) agricultural acres receive a full irrigation water supply and 3,640 acres (1,470 ha) receive a supplemental water supply. The Uintah Water Conservancy District operates
11025-684: Was moved to the Uintah Ouray Reservation, is composed of a number of bands. The tribes at the reservation include the following groups: Utes have lived in the Great Basin region for over 10,000 years. From 3000 BCE to around 500 BCE, they lived along the Gila River in Arizona . People of the Fremont culture lived to the north in western Colorado, but when drought struck in the 13th century, they joined
#755244