Tributary Reservoir Regulation Activities 2003 Annual Report (August 2002 - July 2003) Cunningham Dam and Reservoir Omaha, Nebraska Water Control and Water Quality Section Hydrologic Engineering Branch Engineering Division Omaha District December 2003 2003 ANNUAL REPORT TRIBUTARY RESERVOIR REGULATION ACTIVITIES (AUGUST 2002 – JULY 2003) NORTHWEST DIVISION OMAHA DISTRICT CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION...................................................................................1-1 CHAPTER 2 – RESERVOIRS IN THE OMAHA DISTRICT..........................................2-1 a. Reservoirs with Flood Control Storage ..............................................................2-1 b. Reservoirs without Flood Control Storage .........................................................2-2 CHAPTER 3 – TRIBUTARY RUNOFF AND FLOODS .................................................3-1 a. General Hydrologic Conditions ..........................................................................3-1 i. Long-Term Trends ..................................................................................3-1 ii. Rocky Mountain Snow Conditions...........................................................3-1 b. Significant Weather Events, August 2002 through July 2003 ............................3-5 i. Late Summer 2002..................................................................................3-5 ii. Fall 2002 .................................................................................................3-5 iii. Winter of 2002-2003................................................................................3-6 iv. Spring 2003.............................................................................................3-8 v. Summer 2003..........................................................................................3-9 c. Runoff into Tributary Reservoirs ......................................................................3-12 CHAPTER 4 – RESERVOIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ...................................................4-1 a. Flood Damages Prevented ................................................................................4-1 b. Recreation Usage..............................................................................................4-6 CHAPTER 5 – RESERVOIR OPERATIONS................................................................5-1 a. Previous Year Operations..................................................................................5-2 i. Corps of Engineers Lakes.......................................................................5-2 ii. Bureau of Reclamation Dams.................................................................5-2 b. Proposed Operations.........................................................................................5-3 i. Corps of Engineers .................................................................................5-3 (1) Colorado..........................................................................................5-3 (2) Nebraska.........................................................................................5-3 (3) North Dakota...................................................................................5-3 (4) South Dakota ..................................................................................5-4 ii. Bureau of Reclamation............................................................................5-4 (1) Canyon Ferry ..................................................................................5-4 (2) Tiber (Lake Elwell) ..........................................................................5-5 (3) Yellowtail.........................................................................................5-5 (4) Others .............................................................................................5-5 i CHAPTER 6 – MAJOR REGULATION ISSUES...........................................................6-1 a. Water Quality.....................................................................................................6-1 b. Downstream Channel Capacity .........................................................................6-2 c. Releases for Purposes other than Authorized Project Functions.......................6-3 d. Potential Hazardous Conditions.........................................................................6-3 e. Dam Safety Issues.............................................................................................6-3 i. Corps of Engineers Dams.......................................................................6-3 (1) Cherry Creek Dam...........................................................................6-3 (2) Cold Brook Dam ..............................................................................6-4 (3) Salt Creek Dams..............................................................................6-4 ii. Bureau of Reclamation Dams.................................................................6-4 (1) Clark Canyon Dam ..........................................................................6-4 (2) Canyon Ferry Dam ..........................................................................6-4 (3) Tiber Dam........................................................................................6-4 (4) Boysen Dam ....................................................................................6-4 (5) Yellowtail Dam .................................................................................6-4 (6) Heart Butte Dam..............................................................................6-5 (7) Jamestown Dam ..............................................................................6-5 (8) Keyhole Dam ...................................................................................6-5 (9) Pactola Dam ....................................................................................6-5 (10) Shadehill Dam .................................................................................6-5 (11) Glendo Dam.....................................................................................6-5 CHAPTER 7 – WATER CONTROL MANUALS............................................................7-1 a. Current Manual Status.......................................................................................7-1 b. Work Priorities ...................................................................................................7-1 CHAPTER 8 – DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM AND PROCEDURES......................8-1 a. Water Control Data Collection ...........................................................................8-1 i. Sources...................................................................................................8-1 ii. Storage ...................................................................................................8-1 iii. Data Collection Equipment......................................................................8-1 b. Cooperative Hydrologic Programs.....................................................................8-2 c. Water Quality.....................................................................................................8-2 d. Sediment............................................................................................................8-5 i. Bed and Suspended Sediment Sampling................................................8-5 ii. Sedimentation Surveys ...........................................................................8-5 CHAPTER 9 – WATER CONTROL INITIATIVES.........................................................9-1 a. Water Control Initiatives.....................................................................................9-1 i. Missouri River Region Water Control Data System Master Plan.............9-1 ii. Geographical Information System (GIS) .................................................9-1 b. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Applications..........................9-1 c. Personnel...........................................................................................................9-1 d. Training..............................................................................................................9-2 ii LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 2-1 Corps of Engineers Tributary Reservoirs, Omaha District......................... 2-1 2-2 Bureau of Reclamation Tributary Reservoirs, Omaha District ................... 2-2 3-1 Mountain Snowpack Moisture as a Percent of Normal.............................. 3-2 3-2 Recorded and Annual Precip for Various Locations.................................. 3-6 3-3 Runoff Amounts and Peak Pool Levels ................................................... 3-12 3-4 Provisional 2003 Water Year Peak Stages and Discharges.................... 3-13 4-1 Omaha District Projects Flood Damages Prevented FY 2002 - Local and Mainstem Reductions............................................... 4-1 4-2 Bureau of Reclamation Projects Flood Damages Prevented FY02 - Local and Mainstem Reductions.................................................... 4-5 4-3 Flood Damages Prevented by State, Omaha District, FY 2002................. 4-6 4-4 Recreation Visitation Hours ....................................................................... 4-6 5-1 Tributary Reservoir Flood Control Operation (2002 Water Year)............... 5-1 5-2 Utilization of Exclusive Flood Control Zone Omaha District Tributary Projects.............................................................. 5-2 6-1 Water Quality Issues and Concerns .........................................................