Tributary Reservoir Regulation Activities 2015 Annual Report (October 2014 – September 2015) Pactola Dam near its record peak pool of 4589.4 ft, June 29, 2015 Chatfield Dam near its record peak pool of 5448.5 ft June 19, 2015 Salt Creek Dam No. 2, Olive Creek Lake, near its record peak pool of 1345.6 ft, May 7, 2015. Salt Creek Dam No. 2 peaked less than 4.5 ft below its emergency spillway crest (left) Water Control and Water Quality Section Hydrologic Engineering Branch Engineering Division Omaha District March 2016 2015 ANNUAL REPORT TRIBUTARY RESERVOIR REGULATION ACTIVITIES (OCTOBER 2014 – SEPTEMBER 2015) NORTHWESTERN 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 ......................................................... 2-3 CHAPTER 3 – TRIBUTARY AND RUNOFF CONDITIONS ......................................... 3-1 a. General Hydrologic Conditions .......................................................................... 3-1 i. Long-Term Trends .................................................................................. 3-1 ii. Mountain Snow Conditions ..................................................................... 3-5 iii. Plains Snowpack .................................................................................. 3-10 b. Precipitation and Temperature Summary ........................................................ 3-14 i. October-November-December 2014 ..................................................... 3-14 ii. January-February-March 2015 ............................................................. 3-17 iii. April-May-June 2015 ............................................................................. 3-21 iv. July-August-September 2015 ............................................................... 3-26 c. Flooding Concerns .......................................................................................... 3-31 d. Snow Surveys .................................................................................................. 3-35 CHAPTER 4 – RESERVOIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ................................................... 4-1 a. Flood Damages Prevented ................................................................................ 4-1 b. Recreation Usage .............................................................................................. 4-5 CHAPTER 5 – RESERVOIR REGULATION ................................................................ 5-1 a. Previous Year Operations ................................................................................. 5-2 i. Corps of Engineers Dams ....................................................................... 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 ..................................................................................... 5-4 (4) South Dakota ..................................................................................... 5-4 ii. Bureau of Reclamation ........................................................................... 5-4 (1) Canyon Ferry ..................................................................................... 5-4 (2) Keyhole ............................................................................................. 5-5 (3) Pactola .............................................................................................. 5-5 i CHAPTER 6 – MAJOR REGULATION ISSUES .......................................................... 6-1 a. Water Quality ..................................................................................................... 6-1 b. Downstream Channel Capacity ......................................................................... 6-1 c. Potential Hazardous Conditions ........................................................................ 6-4 d. Dam Safety Issues ............................................................................................ 6-5 i. Corps of Engineers Dams ....................................................................... 6-5 (1) Bear Creek Dam .............................................................................. 6-5 (2) Cherry Creek Dam ........................................................................... 6-5 (3) Cold Brook Dam .............................................................................. 6-6 (4) Salt Creek Dams ............................................................................. 6-6 (5) Papillion Creek Dams ...................................................................... 6-6 ii. Bureau of Reclamation Dams ................................................................. 6-7 (1) Clark Canyon Dam .......................................................................... 6-7 (2) Canyon Ferry Dam .......................................................................... 6-7 (3) Tiber Dam ........................................................................................ 6-7 (4) Boysen Dam .................................................................................... 6-7 (5) Yellowtail Dam ................................................................................. 6-7 (6) Heart Butte Dam .............................................................................. 6-7 (7) Jamestown Dam .............................................................................. 6-8 (8) Keyhole Dam ................................................................................... 6-8 (9) Pactola Dam .................................................................................... 6-8 (10) Shadehill Dam ................................................................................. 6-8 (11) Glendo Dam .................................................................................... 6-8 CHAPTER 7 – WATER CONTROL MANUALS ........................................................... 7-1 a. Current Manual Status ....................................................................................... 7-1 b. Work Priorities ................................................................................................... 7-2 CHAPTER 8 – DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM AND PROCEDURES ...................... 8-1 a. Water Control Data Collection ........................................................................... 8-1 i. Sources ................................................................................................... 8-1 ii. Data Storage ........................................................................................... 8-1 iii. Data Collection Equipment ..................................................................... 8-1 b. Cooperative Hydrologic Programs ..................................................................... 8-2 c. Water Quality ..................................................................................................... 8-3 d. Sediment ........................................................................................................... 8-4 i. Bed and Suspended Sediment Sampling ............................................... 8-4 ii. Sedimentation Surveys ........................................................................... 8-5 iii. MRB Sediment Memoranda Reports ...................................................... 8-5 CHAPTER 9 – OTHER WATER CONTROL ACTIVITIES ............................................ 9-1 a. Water Control Initiatives .................................................................................... 9-1 i. Missouri River Region Water Control Data System Master Plan ............ 9-1 ii. Model Development ................................................................................ 9-1 b. Personnel .......................................................................................................... 9-2 c. Training ............................................................................................................. 9-3 ii LIST OF TABLES 2-1 Corps of Engineers Tributary Reservoirs, Omaha District .................................... 2-1 2-2 Bureau of Reclamation Tributary Reservoirs, Omaha District .............................. 2-2 3-1 2015 Water Year Observations/Departures from Normal ..................................... 3-2 3-2 Mountain Snowpack Moisture as a Percent of Normal ......................................... 3-6 3-3 Monthly Snowfall Reports in Inches .................................................................. 3-13 3-4 Snow Surveys .................................................................................................... 3-34 4-1 Omaha District Projects Flood Damages Prevented ............................................ 4-1 4-2 Bureau of Reclamation Projects Flood Damages Prevented ............................... 4-4 4-3 Flood Damages