GC12YVA Laminar Flow
Type: Earth | Size: Not chosen | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: cacheclique @ | Hide Date: 05/16/2007 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 31.450 W107° 39.048 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 18
                   

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Cache is accessed through Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Entry fee may apply. The site is handicapped accessible, but the road to the site is not suitable for large vehicles such as RVs (a series of switchbacks).

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The Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam, one of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s first projects, was constructed by the Department of the Interior between the years 1904 and 1912. The 5.8 mile tunnel brings irrigation water from the Gunnison River to the Uncompahgre Valley. Today it is operated and maintained by the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association.

The presence of the Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam creates an interesting, if somewhat treacherous, phenomenon on the Gunnison River.

Water moves in layers, this is termed as "laminar flow". Ordinarily, the rocky channel bottom of a river impedes the flow of water at the deepest point. Successive layers of water receive less and less resistance, so maximum velocity is reached just below the surface of the river. At the site of the Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam however, water at the bottom of the river is moving at a much faster pace due to funneling of water through the Gunnison River Diversion Tunnel. The result is a rather placid looking area of the river with a deceptively strong base current and undertow.

Additionally, a series of Hydro-electric dams along the Gunnison, most notably the Crystal Dam just up the river from the Gunnison Tunnel, can affect currents in their efforts to generate electricity and provide minimum stream flows for wildlife and fisheries below the Gunnison Diversion Dam.

The Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam is a National Civil Engineering Landmark.

To claim this cache you must answer the following question: At peak operation, how many cubic feet per second of water passes through the Gunnison Diversion Tunnel?

07/02/2019 By Tucalota
TFTC. We came down to the east portal during a powerful rainstorm on the Solstice. It was a bit nerve racking parked next to the river and watching the water, mud and rocks start to flow down the side of the canyon in the crevices. I kept waiting for some big boulder to get dislodged and come down the slopes after us. Luckily... the rain cleared and the sun popped out only for some hail and more rain later in the day.

06/10/2019 By GeoTed1
So glad we drove to the East Portal... very pleasant area!

06/06/2019 By Bartimäus von Uruk
Another road trip this year led us to this beautiful cache. Thank you so much for hiding and grooming. Many greetings from Germany.

06/03/2019 By aerogeek
Finally getting around to logging all my vacation caches. Did a 2 week vacation to hit all the national parks and some of the national monuments in the state. Thanks for the cache!

05/25/2019 By GeoGatesHunter
TFTC cool spot

10/01/2018 By kb0rpw
Fun day

09/30/2018 By kekj
Fresh in from California with a whole passel of new Trackables (21) that we found in a TB hotel out there. ALL had been cooped up for a minimum of 62 days, some for 83, and a half dozen for more than 110 days! A number of them are of international origin! We promised the cache CO and the TB owners that we would travel them around a bit before dropping them in local caches - showing them the sites in the surrounding area of the Rocky Mountains and also to give them a taste of the history/geology and local geocaching. This is one of those (both) Historical & geological caches that we are way-pointing them too.

09/29/2018 By NakedNHappyHunter
On a many month & state caching adventure. Took a quick break and found this.
Found with GoofyBareHunter

09/29/2018 By GoofyBareHunter
Staying in Montrose, made the drive today to see the canyon....
Found with NakedNHappyHunter while on a road trip across country from Tampa, FL.....
TFTC!

08/20/2018 By Chod
Enjoyed my time in the canyon and learning about this mega engineering feat. A bonus was seeing a bear and her two cubs. Thanks for the research that went into establishing this EarthCache.
Near Laminar Flow, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison

08/18/2018 By ColoCan
Found it
GC12YVA

08/18/2018 By packerle
Found

08/04/2018 By zeili
TFTC. Very interesting story as was the original video in the Visiter Centre telling the story of the surveying and challenges.

07/31/2018 By jasperdakota
Thanks for the earthcache! Hadn't been here in years. Beautiful canyon.

07/04/2018 By magashi
answer sent, thanks :)

06/27/2018 By Firework99
An interesting drive down to retrive this answer but great to get close to the river

06/19/2018 By Postpile
Last cache of the day. Nice way to end a great day. Thanks for creating the earthcache.
Interesting place

06/08/2018 By Biscuit53
Tftc!
Very interesting and impressive.

02/01/2018 By The_Exposer
TFTC!