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Show will have 1,709,000 acre-feet total capacity and an active capacity of 1,036,000 acre-feet. Accumulations of sediment in this reservoir will amount to approximately 330,000 acre-feet in 100 years with much of the sediment being deposited in the inactive space. The major purpose of this reservoir will be to regulate the flows of the San Juan River for the potential Navajo Indian Irrigation Project near Farmington, the San Juan-Chama participating project in the Rio Grande Basin, and the authorized Hammond participating project. Part of the water to be made available may also be used for industrial and municipal purposes in Northwestern New Mexico. Recreational facilities will be provided and are expected to contribute materially to the economy of the area. Construction Activities With peak placement of earth materials reaching more than 1,000,000 cubic yards in August and nearly a million yards in September, Navajo Dam construction is well ahead of schedule. Work is about 65 percent completed. The contractor estimates that the dam will be topped out in December, 1961 with the remaining work completed on the dam by March, 1962. This will be about one year ahead of schedule. 4. Curecanti Storage Unit The Curecanti Storage Unit will be located on the Gunnison River in Western Colorado, upstream from the Black Canyon National Monument and downstream from the town of Gunnison. In order to prevent damage to property near the town, the authorizing legislation (P. L. 485) provides that the upstream dam at Blue Mesa shall be constructed to a height to store not less than 940,000 acre-feet of water, or to create a reservoir of such greater capacity as can be obtained by a high water line located at 7,520 feet above mean sea level and that construction must await certification of economic justification. This development will consist of either two or three dams, reservoirs, and appurtenant power generation facilities. The Bureau of Reclamation has completed detailed studies for the two potential upstream dams at Blue Mesa and Morrow Point Dam sites. Analysis of these developments has been made without dependence upon the third dam and reservoir at the downstream Crystal site, which is currently being studied. In addition to power generation, the Curecanti Unit will regulate the flow of the Gunnison River, thus providing benefits to flood control and irrigation. The reservoir will provide extensive recreational benefits. Flows of the Gunnison River will be largely controlled by the 915,000 acre-foot Blue Mesa Reservoir, the larger and uppermost of the reservoirs. Water released from the Blue Mesa Reservoir through a 45 |