Curecanti Project Concrete Pushing

Abstract

"The roots of Curecanti began in 1956 when Congress authorized the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to construct the Wayne N. Aspinall Storage Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP), which consists of three dams, their reservoirs, and related facilities. Reclamation acquired most of the needed lands in the 1960s. These lands were the minimum required for the primary purposes of the project, with little or no consideration given to potential opportunities for land-based recreation that might be associated with an emerging NRA. Curecanti National Recreation Area (Curecanti NRA), located near Gunnison, Colorado encompasses Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs of the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). As Curecanti NRA's most important natural resource, water covers some 25% of the total park unit area. Therefore, ensuring and maintaining appropriate reservoir levels and naturally high water quality while protecting water-related and water-dependent resources are the key objectives in Curecanti NRA's overall natural resources management scheme. The reservoirs were formed by damming the Gunnison River at three sites. Blue Mesa Dam was completed in 1965, with the Morrow Point and Crystal dams following in the 1970s. Blue Mesa and Morrow Point reservoirs serve as power producing systems, and Crystal Reservoir serves as a regulation system.”