1982 Proj Operations 1983 Colorado River Basin
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12th nnual Re rt Operation of the C v Basin 1982 Proj Operations 1983 Colorado River Basin Wyoming Nevada Colorado New Mexico Contents U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation January 1983 (Prepared pursuant to the Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968, Public Law 90-537) cableway holst at Hoover Dam. Sprinkler Irrigation. Introduction. .................................................................... .. ~ Authority for Report .... "......................................................... .. 2 Actual Operations Under Criteria· Water Year 1982 2 Projected Plan of Operation Under Criteria· Water Vear 1983 3 Determination of "602(a) Storage" ................................................ .. 3 Mexican Treaty Obligations ...................................................... .. 3 Regulatory Wastes. ............................................................. .. 4 Projected Plan of Operation· Water Vear 1983 5 Upper Basin Reservoirs Fontenelle Reservoir (Green River) ................................................ .. 6 Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Green River) .... ........................................ .. 8 Wayne N. Aspinall Unit- Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal Reservoirs (Gunnison River) 10 Navajo Reservoir (San Juan River) '.' 12 lake Powell (Colorado River) 14 lower Basin Reservoirs Lake Mead (Colorado River) 16 Lake Mohave (Colorado River) 18 Lake Havasu (Colorado River) 20 River Regulation 22 Flood Control ............................................... 23 Beneficial Consumptive Uses Upper Basin Uses and Losses 24 lower Basin Uses and Losses 24 Water Quality Operations 25 Environmental Programs Upper Basin 26 Lower Basin 26 Power Operations Upper Basin-Colorado River Storage Project 28 Major Maintenance Activities 29 Lower Basin 30 Major Maintenance Activities 31 1 Introduction Authority for Report Actual Operations Under Criteria-Water Year 1982 :;/ Granite Reef Aqueduct. Taylor River above Blue Mesa Reservoir. Pipeline at Havasu Pumping Plant. The operation of the Colorado River Basin Pursuant to the Colorado River Basin Project The initial plan of operation for water year during the past year and the projected Act (Public Law 90-537) of 1968, I am pleased 1982 was based on an objective minimum operation for the current year reflect flood to present to the Congress, and to the release of 8.'23 million acre-feet from Lake control, domestic use, irrigation, hydroelectric Governors of the Colorado River Basin States, Powell. With this release, and assuming power generation, water quality control, fish the twelfth annual report on the Operation of average inflow conditions, the projected active and wildlife propagation, recreation, and the Colorado River Basin. storage at Lake Powell would have been less Colorado River Compact requirements. than the active storage at Lake Mead by This report describes the actual operation of September 30,1982. Storage and release of water from the Upper the reservoirs in the Colorado River drainage Basin reservoirs are governed by all area constructed under the authority of the Beginning in ApriI, however, the forecasted applicable laws and agreements concerning Colorado River Storage Project Act, the most probable inflow to lake Powell was the Colorado River, including the Boulder Canyon Project Act, and the Boulder above average, and the scheduled release impoundment and release of water in the Canyon Project Adjustment Act during water from Lake Powell was increased to 8.6 million Upper Basin required by Section 602(a) of year 1982 and the projected operation of these acre-feet in order to equalize storage with Public Law 90-537. The operation of the reservoirs during water year 1983 under the Lake Mead by the end of the water year. This Lower Basin reservoirs reflects Mexican "Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range plan of operation remained in effect until Treaty obi igations and Lower Basin Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs," mid-June when the inflow forecast was contractual commitments. published in the Federal Register June 10, revised downward. The revised forecasted 1970. inflow would have placed the projected active Nothing in this report is intended to interpret storage of Lake Powell below lake Mead even the provisions of the Colorado River Compact James G. Watt, Secretary with a minimum objective release of 8.23 (45 Stat. 1057), the Upper Colorado River United States Department of the Interior million acre-feet. Basin Compact (63 Stat. 31), the Water Treaty of 1944 with the United Mexican States (Treaty Series 994,59 Stat. 1219), the decree entered by the Court of the United States in Arizona California, et al. (376 340), the Boulder Canyon Act (45 Stat. 1057)1 the Boulder Project Adjustment (54 Stat. 774; 43 U.S.C. 618a), the (70 Stat. Projected Plan of Operation Under Criteria- ater Year 1983 Davis Dam turbine runner Inspection. Headgate Rock Dam. Transformers. The consequences of readjusting the plan of Determination of "802[a] Storage" failure to store sufficient water to assure operation late in the water year were Section 602(a)(3) of the Colorado River Basin deliveries under Section 602 (a)(1 ) and (2) of considered; after discussion and consultation Project Act of September 30,1968 (Public Law Public Law 90-537. with interested agencies and groups, 90-537), provides for the storage of Colorado scheduled summer releases were reduced ill River water not required to be released under Taking into consideration these relevant order to meet a minimum objective from Lake article III (c) and III (d) of the Colorado River factors, the Secretary has determined that the Powell of 8.23 million acre-feet. The actual Compact in Upper Basin reservoirs, to the active storage in Upper Basin reservoirs inflow into Lake Powell during the summer extent the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) forecast for September 30,1983, exceeds the months was considerably greater than the finds it necessary to assure compact deliveries "602(a) Storage" requirement under any forecasted inflow. As a result, by September without impairment of annual consumptive reasonable range of assumptions which might .30, 1982, the active storage of Lake Powell uses in the Upper Basin. be applied to those Items previously listed. was 23,005,000 acre-feet and the active Therefore, the accumulation of "602(a) storage at Lake Mead was 22,766,000 Article II of the' 'Criteria for Coordinated Storage" is not the criterion governing the acre-feet. Total release from Lake Powell Long-Range Operation of Colorado River release of water during the current year. during water year 1982 was 8.30 million Reservoirs" (Operating Criteria) provides that acre-feet. the annual plan of operation shall include a determination by the Secretary of the quantity During water year 1982, the water supply in of water considered necessary to be in Upper Mexican Treaty Obligations the Colorado River Basin was approximately Basin storage as of September 30 of the 111 percent of the long-term average, ranging cu rrent year. Annual calendar year schedules of monthly from 132 percent for the Green River above deliveries of water in the limltrophe section of Flaming Gorge Dam to 100 percent for the This determination shall consider all the Colorado River, allotted In accordance Gunnison River above Blue Mesa Dam. The applicable laws and relevant factors including, with the Mexican Water Treaty signed in major storage reservoirs in the Colorado River but not limited to the following: (a) historic 1944, are formulated by the Mexican Section Basin stayed within the normal operating streamflows; (b) the most critical period of and presented to the United States Section, range during water year 1982. Aggregate record; (c) probabilities of water supply; (d) International Boundary and Water Colorado River system storage at the end of estimated future depletions in the Upper Commission (Commission), before the the water year was 54,029,000 acre-feet, Basin, including the effects of recurrence of beginning of each calendar year. representing an increase of 4,456,000 critical periods of water supply; (e) the acre-feet from the previous year. By the end "Report of the Committee on Probabilities of the water year, active storage in the system and Test Studies to the Task Force on was approximately 96 percent of the January 1 Operating Criteria for the Colorado River," maximum available storage. dated October 30, 1969, and such additional studies as the Secretary deems necessary; (f) the necessity to assure that Upper Basin consumptive uses are not Impaired because of 3 Spectacular Morrow Point Dam. canal excavation -1935. Upon 30 days advance notice to the United Regulatory Wastes States Section, Mexico has the right to Deliveries to Mexico consist of river water modify, within the total schedule, any monthly delivered to Imperial Dam and waste and quantity prescribed by the schedule by not drainage return flows from water users below more than 20 percent. During water year Imperial Dam. In addition to assuring normal 1982, Mexico received a total delivery of about water del iveries, the small amount of 1,412,000 acre-feet at the Northerly regulatory storage space in Imperial, Laguna, International Boundary. and Senator Wash Reservoirs was used at times to limit potential downstream flood Of the 1,412,000 acre-feet of mainstream damages. during water year 1982. Regulatory Colorado River water reaching the Boundary, waste for water year 1983 will depend on the about 1,600 acre-feet was delivered through actual hydrologic conditions