Nathan Westrup
Reservoir Operations Potential for FIRO
Kansas Water Office Key Principals
KWO is responsible for ensuring reservoir storage is sufficient to meet demands through drought, now and in the future
Eligible water supply demands to be supported by releases from storage are primarily municipal and industrial
Maintaining streamflow is also an authorized and required use of reservoir storage Legal Framework Water Appropriation Act Water rights – priority (first in time) State Water Plan Storage Act Water reservation rights – also priority based System Operations – KWO, WAD, & DWR Water Assurance Program Operations Agreement Mandatory & restricts use of storage to M & I Water Supply Access District Voluntary & allows IRR, IND, MUN, and REC Memorandum of Agreement Require target flows Water Marketing Program Contract for annual quantity – limited to drought yield
Reservoirs Managed WS Reservoirs FIRO What criteria are necessary to determine if Kansas reservoirs are viable candidates for FIRO? Large flood pool Forecast confidence Normally predictable inflow (seasonality)
Does Kansas need FIRO? Yes, conservation storage is shrinking fast Conservation storage / Demand Potentially less than one year supply
Large Flood Pools
2,000,000
1,800,000
1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
FEET
- 1,000,000 ACRE
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0 Milford Kanopolis Tuttle Perry Clinton Fall River Toronto Elk City Big Hill Marion Council John Pomona Melvern Hillsdale Creek Grove Redmond
Flood Capacity Cons Capacity Annual Inflow / Capacity 2,000,000
1,800,000
1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
FEET
- 1,000,000 ACRE
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0 Milford Kanopolis Tuttle Perry Clinton Fall River Toronto Elk City Big Hill Marion Council John Pomona Melvern Hillsdale Creek Grove Redmond
Median Inflow Flood Capacity Max and Min Inflow 7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
FEET
- ACRE 3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0 Milford Kanopolis Tuttle Perry Clinton Fall River Toronto Elk City Big Hill Marion Council John Pomona Melvern Hillsdale Creek Grove Redmond
Maximum Inflow Minimum Inflow Seasonal Inflow Pattern 20%
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Milford Kanopolis Tuttle Creek Perry Clinton Fall River Toronto Elk City Big Hill Marion Council Grove John Redmond Pomona Melvern Hillsdale Conservation Storage 450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
FEET -
ACRE 200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0 Milford Kanopolis Tuttle Perry Clinton Fall River Toronto Elk City Big Hill Marion Council John Pomona Melvern Hillsdale Creek Grove Redmond
Minimum Inflow Cons Capacity Shrinking Storage & History
Tuttle Creek Lake
Storage Conservation Storage Flood Storage
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
Feet
- Acre
1,000,000
500,000
0 Problem child… John Redmond Reservoir
Storage Conservation Storage Flood Storage
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
Feet
- Acre 300,000
200,000
100,000
0 Never used full flood pool Melvern Lake
Storage Conservation Storage Flood Storage
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
Feet
- 200,000 Acre
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 Another one… Clinton Lake
Storage Conservation Storage Flood Storage
450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
Feet -
Acre 200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Drought of 2012 John Redmond Reservoir
Storage Conservation Storage
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
Feet
- Acre 60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Questions?