Near Gunnison in Gunnison County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Storage Units
Upper Colorado River Storage Project
Photographed By James Hulse
1. Storage Units Marker
The Colorado River Storage Project on the Upper Colorado River is the most complex and extensive river water development in the world. It includes drainage in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico-about 1/12 the continental area of the United States. Storage units of the project are: Glen Canyon, Flaming Gorge, Navajo, and Curecanti Dams. These units regulate the erratic flows of the Colorado River so that commitments to the Lower Basin states can be assured and water can be provided in the Upper Basin for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power, recreation and wildlife. The Curecanti Unit is comprised of Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs in the deep canyons of the Gunnison River. It was named for the Ute Indian Chief, Curicata, who roamed and hunted over the Colorado territory.
Blue Mesa Dam shown here is an earth-filled dam forming a 940,800 acre-foot lake with a shore line of 96 miles. Power generated here and at other CRSP reservoirs is controlled at the Power Operation Center in Montrose, Colorado, and is distributed through an extensive delivery system in the Western
this page online
Erected by U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Reclamation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 38° 27.158′ N, 107° 20.593′ W. Marker is near Gunnison, Colorado, in Gunnison County. Marker is on State Highway 92, ¼ mile Blue Mesa Drive (County Highway 721), on the right when traveling east. The marker is located at a roadside park with a view of the Blue Mesa Dam. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gunnison CO 81230, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Crossing the Canyon (approx. 2.2 miles away); Wayne N. Aspinall (approx. 2.2 miles away); Forming a Pinnacle (approx. 4.4 miles away); If You Only Knew (approx. 4.4 miles away); Trains and Trout (approx. 7.8 miles away).
Also see . . . Blue Mesa Reservoir.
Blue Mesa Reservoir is an artificial reservoir located on the upper reaches of the Gunnison River in Gunnison County, Colorado. The largest lake located entirely within the state, Blue Mesa Reservoir was created by the construction of Blue Mesa Dam, a 390-foot tall earthen fill dam constructed on the Gunnison by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1966(Submitted on November 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)for the generation of hydroelectric power. Managed as part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest lake trout and Kokanee salmon fishery in Colorado. Source: WikipediaPhotographed By James Hulse, July 9, 20212. The Storage Units Marker and Blue Mesa Dam
Photographed By James Hulse, July 9, 2021
3. A view of the Blue Mesa Dam
Photographed By James Hulse, July 9, 2021
4. The view of the Storage Units Marker and Blue Mesa Dam from the viewing area
Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
