Water Reservations and Water Availability in the Yellowstone River
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s 333.91 WATER RESERVATIONS AND WATER AVAILABILITY J^ ^^ IN THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN MAY 1982 •TATE DOCUMENTS COLLECTION DEC 161983 MONTANA STATE UBRARY 1515 E. 6th AVE. HEIENA, MONTANA 59620 ONRC MONTANA STATE LIBRARY Sob»shin5kl S 333.91 W3wr 1982 c 1 availab. it Water reaetvalions and water MAR 2 1 1990 liiiilillllllilii 3 0864 00045066 1 mz-mo J n J _ V^' WATER RESERVATIONS AND WATER AVAILABILITY IN THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN MAY 1982 by Daniel A. Sobashinski and Diane Fitz Lozovoy WATER MANAGEMENT BUREAU WATER RESOURCES DIVISION MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables v List of Figures viii Abstract ix Introduction 1 Methods 8 Results 12 Appendix A: Detailed Description of DNRC Version of Yellowstone River Operations Study 25 Introduction 26 COMPUT Subroutine 29 Yellowstone River above Billings .... 29 Yellowstone River below Billings .... 33 TONGUE Subroutine 39 POWDER Subroutine 42 SUNDAY Subroutine 47 Appendix B: Input Data for Yellowstone River Operations Study 49 1975 Level of Development Flows 50 Reservations 50 Municipal Reservations 50 Irrigation Reservations 50 Instream Plow Reservations 77 Multiple use/Storage Reservations ... 77 Future Water for Wyoming 78 Reserved Indian Water Rights 78 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Municipal and Industrial Water Use 78 Montana Water Rights Granted in the Yellowstone River Basin Since 1975 83 Utah International (Fence Creek) Project, Powder River Basin 83 Appendix C: Water Availability in the Yellowstone River Basin Under "Present" Conditions 87 Introduction 88 Methods 88 Results 92 Page Appendix D: Water Available for Irrigation Reservations in the Yellowstone River Basin 105 Introduction 106 Methods 106 Results 107 Yellowstone River above Billings 107 Yellowstone River below Billings 113 Conclusions 114 Literature Cited 116 Acknowledgments 117 IV LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Water Reservations in the Yellowstone River Basin . 3 2. Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Livingston, Montana 13 3. Excess Flows: Stillwater River at Absarokee, Montana. 14 4. Excess Flows: Clarks Fork at Edgar, Montana 15 5. Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Billings, Montana. 16 6. Excess Flows: Tongue River at Miles City, Montana . 17 7. Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Miles City, Montana 18 8. Excess Flows: Powder River at Locate, Montana .... 19 9. Excess Flows: Bighorn River at St. Xavier, Montana . 20 10. Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Sidney, Montana . 21 A-1. Boysen Reservoir: Operating Criteria 35 A-2. Buffalo Bill Reservoir: Operating Criteria 36 A-3. Yellowtail Reservoir: Operating Criteria 37 A-4. Prairie Dog Creek and South Fork Tongue River Reservoirs: Specifications and Operating Criteria 40 A-5. New Tongue River Reservoir: Specifications and Operating Criteria 41 A-6. Hole-in-wall and Crazywoman Creek Reservoirs: Specifications and Operating Criteria 43 A-7 . Clear Creek Reservoir: Specifications and Operating Criteria 44 A-8. Fence Creek (Utah International) Reservoir: Specifications and Operating Criteria 45 A-9. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Off stream Storage Reservoirs: Specifications and Operating Criteria 48 B-1. Yellowstone River at Livingston: 1975 Level of Development Flows 51 B-2. Stillwater River near Absarokee: 1975 Level of Development Flows 52 B-3. Clarks Fork at Edgar: 1975 Level of Development Flows 53 B-4. Yellowstone River at Billings: 1975 Level of Development Flows 54 B-5. Bighorn River near St. Xavier: 1975 Level of Development Flows 55 B-6. Tongue River at Miles City: 1975 Level of Development Flows 56 B-7 . Yellowstone River near Miles City: 1975 Level of Development Flows 57 B-8. Powder River at Arvada: 1975 Level of Development Flows 58 Page B-9. Powder River near Locate: 1975 Level of Development Flows 59 B-10. Yellowstone River near Sidney: 1975 Level of Development Flows 60 B-11. Municipal Depletions: Yellowstone River 61 B-12. Irrigation Depletions: Yellowstone River above Livingston 62 B-13. Irrigation Depletions: Stillwater River at Absarokee 63 B-14. Irrigation Depletions: Clarks Fork at Edgar 64 B-15. Irrigation Depletions: Yellowstone River between Livingston and Billings 65 B-16. Irrigation Depletions: Tongue River above Miles City. 66 B-17. Irrigation Depletions: Bighorn River below St. Xavier 67 B-18. Irrigation Depletions: Yellowstone River between Billings and Miles City 68 B-19. Irrigation Depletions: Powder River above Locate . 69 B-20. Irrigation Depletions: Yellowstone River between Miles City and Sidney 70 B-21. Monthly Distribution of Depletions from Irrigation Reservations 72 B-22. Monthly Distribution of Non-Irrigation Depletions . 73 B-23. Instream Flow Reservations 74 B-24. Bighorn River Basin: Depletions for Wyoming under Level B Year 2000 Recommended Plan 79 B-25. Tongue River Basin: Depletions for Wyoming under Level B Year 2000 Recommended Plan 80 B-26. Powder River Basin: Depletions for Wyoming under Level B Year 2000 Recommended Plan 81 B-27. Reserved Indian Water 82 B-28. Montana Water Rights Granted in the Yellowstone River Basin Since 1975 84 B-29. Depletions from Powder River Basin for Utah International (Fence Creek) Project 85 C-1. Depletions Used in Yellowstone Opstudy Model for "Future" and "Present" Conditions 90 C-2. 1985 "Without Development" Level Flows: Bighorn River at St. Xavier, Montana 93 C-3. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Livingston, Montana 94 C-4. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Stillwater River at Absarokee, Montana 95 C-5. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Clarks Fork at Edgar, Montana 96 C-6. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Billings, Montana 97 C-7 . Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Tongue River at Miles City, Montana 98 vi Page C-8. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Miles City, Montana 99 C-9. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Powder River at Locate, Montana 100 C-10. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Bighorn River at St. Xavier, Montana 101 C-11. Present Conditions - Excess Flows: Yellowstone River at Sidney, Montana 102 D-1. Yellowstone River at Livingston: Percent of Irrigation Reservations Satisfied 108 D-2. Stillwater River near Absarokee: Percent of Irrigation Reservations Satisfied 109 D-3. Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River at Edgar: Percent of Irrigation Reservations Satisfied . 110 D-4. Yellowstone River from Livingston to Billings: Percent of Irrigation Reservations Satisfied . Ill D-5. Yellowstone River - All Irrigation Reservations above Billings: Percent of Irrigation Reservations Satisfied 112 Vll LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. Yellowstone River Basin 9 2. Yellowstone River Basin Model Nodes 10 A-1. Adjustment of Depletions at Livingston to Mitigate Instream Flow Shortage 31 A-2. Adjustment of Depletions at Livingston to Mitigate Instream Flow Shortage at Billings 32 Vlll ABSTRACT In December 1978, the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation issued an order on the reservation of water in the Yellowstone River Basin. This order, the first to establish water reservations on any river in Montana, reserved water for municipal use, irrigation, offstream storage, and instream flow. An annual total of 716,237 acre-feet was reserved for future consumption by irrigators and municipalities. The largest instream flow reservation was granted by the board for 5,578,890 acre-feet per year at Miles City. This study was designed to determine: (1) the amount of water currently available for appropriation, taking into account existing uses, water reservations, and estimated future depletions by Wyoming and Indian tribes; and (2) whether there will be enough water available to fully satisfy the irrigation reservations above and below Billings, Montana. INTRODUCTION In the years prior to 1974, a substantial number of applica- tions for water use permits for drawing large amounts of water from the Yellowstone River were received by the Montana Depart- ment of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) . Many of these applications requested significant amounts of water for energy- related industrial development. Reacting to concerns that industrial water development would harm municipal, agricultural, and instream water use, the Montana Legislature passed the Water Moratorium Act of 1974, which suspended all applications for water use permits for diversions larger than 20 cubic feet per second (cfs) or storage over 14,000 acre-feet in the Yellowstone Basin until March 10, 1977. During this period, the state determined the amount of water available for allocation and quantified instream flow requirements for the Yellowstone River and its tributaries. The moratorium also allowed local, state, and federal agencies to assess their future water requirements and submit applications for the reservation of water. The Water Use Act of 1973 made it possible for the State of Montana and the federal government to reserve water for existing or future consumptive uses, and to maintain a minimum flow level and quality of water. To reserve water, a qualified public body must apply to the Board of Natural Resources and Conservation and establish: 1. the purpose of the reservation 2. the need for the reservation 3. the amount of water necessary for the purpose of the reservation 4. that the reservation is in the public interest. The board has the authority to modify the reservation if the objectives of the reservation are not met or if, in the case of reservations requiring diversion or storage, progress toward the completion of the necessary facilities is not being made. Such progress