w , Colorado River Basin J "".'1, " r ? 'r .. '.. It_... or ..·,U ~ .. ........••• " I • '0. M ",~ ..... • .. f \.-. " .....• .;: ..-..", ;.~ '", ....;.~.~ .. u 0 , , v .'.. ' ~-,-J~ •. l "... .... .....,. (~ .t,, __ N , w R z o N A M , c A • ANNUAL REPORT 1974 OJ)cratlon of thc Colorado Rlycr Basin 1975 Projccted OJ)cratlons (prep:lred pu~uant 10 Ihe Colomdo River Uasill Project Act of 1968, Public Lnw 90-537) U. S. Department of the Interior Rogers C. B. ~1(lrton, Secretary ~ BurellU of Reclamatioll Gilbert G. Stamm, ('ommis~ion('r 'W JJIIU:HY 1975 Tablc of Contents Page Map-Upper Colorado and Lower Colorado River Inside B:lsins .... Cover Authority for Report II In trodllction ii Actual Operations under Criteria··Water Year I Q74 ...... I Upper Basin Reservoirs , Lower Basin Reservoirs River Regulation Beneficial Consumptive Uses Upper B:lsin Uses Lower Basin Uses and Losses Water Quality ('ontrol Water Quality Operations during Wulcr Year 1974 . " Future Water Quality Control ]2 l:nhllllCClllcnt or !-'ish and Wildlife 23 Upper l3:lsin .... 23 Lower B:\sin .... 23 Prl::scrv<ltiol1 or Environment 25 Projected Plal1 of OpCr:1!ioll under Criteria for Current Ycar 26 Detem,ination of "602(::1) Storage" . ~6 Lower Ba~in Requirements 27 Plan of Operation-Water Year 1975 29 UppL'f Basin Reservoirs 29 Lower Basin Reservoirs 33 Gtel/ eal/yon Vi'iitor Cenler Authority t()r Rc)ort Introduction Pursuant to the Colorado River Basin Project The oper.ltion of tile Colorado River during Act (P.L. 90-537) of 1968. I am pleased to present thc past year and the projected operation for the to the Congress and to the Go\'emors of the ,'urrent year reOect domestic usc, irrigation. Colorado River Basin States, the fourth Annual hydroelectric power generation. water quality Report on the Operation of the Colomdo River. control, fish and wildlife propagation. recreation. nood control. and Colorado River Compact This report describes the actual operation of req uiromen ts. the reservoirs in the Colorado River drainage area constructed under the authority of the Colomdo Storage and release of water from the Upper River Storage Project Act. the Boulder Canyon Basin reservoirs recognize all applicable laws and Project Act. and the Boulder Canyon Project relevant factors governing lhe Colorado River. Adjustment Act during Water Year 1974 and the including the impoundment of water in the Upper projected operation of these reservoirs during Basin required by Section 60:!(a) of Puhlic Water Year 1975 under the Criteria for Law 90-537. The operation of the Lower Basin Coordinated Long-Range Operation of reservoirs reflct.:ts Mexican Treaty obligations and Colorado River Reservoirs published in the Lower Basin contractual commitmcnts. Federal Register June 10. 1970. ROGERS C. B. MORTON Secretary, United States Deparhnent of the Interior ii Kather;nes IAnd;1lg. Lake Mohal'e Actual Ol)erations Under Criteria Water Year 1974 Operation of the Colorado River during. 1974 A description of the actual oreration of each W3!i ba:.cd on 3 forecasl of nmoff. Starlm!,!. of the reservoirs III Ihe Colorado River BJsin is January I. th~ snowmelt runoff was forec::lst 301..1 given in the following paragJ"Olphs. Charts I the required release of store<t water 10 meel Ihrough 9 show hydrographs of monthly QUlnaw demands Wol, scheduled for each n:scrvoir Ihrou~h from the reservoirs and waler surface elevation and September. At tile beg.inning. of each month at.:tive storage in tIll,: r~servoirs for waler year 1074. (hcre~lflcr through ..Iunc. the forecast was rcvi"Cd hased on rreclpitJtion and snow data t.:oll~cted during lht month and the scheduled operation was revised ilct.:ordin.gly. 1 UI)I)Cr Basi n Rcscryoirs During the pJS{ yenr, Fontenclle Reservoir was operated for hydroelectric generation. nood control, fish and wildHfe enhancement, and for recreation. During the fall and winter of 1973-74, the reservoir was slowly reduced from elevation Fontenellc 6,505 feel at the beginning of the water year to a low elevation of 6,480 reet prior to spring runofr in April. The minimum release during [he fall and Reservoir winter was 700 cubic feet per second (ft3/5) in order that power could be genemted at the _.~ powerplnnt nnd fish nows maintained. Releases during March were high enough to force the geese ill the Seedskadee National Bird Refuge to build their nests on higher ground. After the actual geese nesting and hatching period, releases were controlled to allow the reservoir to fill late in June. Maximum releases of 8,800 ft 3/s from the reservoir occurred late in June. The reservoir as of September 30, 1974, had 3[5,000 acre-feet of active storage at elevation 6,502 feet. (Chart I) ~rt I~L_/ STATISTICS ACTIVE STORAoe- RESERVOIR (ACRE FEETI ELEVATION IFEET! "'AXIMU'II STORAGE 344.1134 65Q6 RA1£O HEAD 133.189 64111 "'INIMUM POWUI 19(.962 6485 SURFACE AREA (FUlLl lI058 ACRES RESERVOIR L.ENGTI1 (FULL! 18MIlES POWER PLANT NUMBER OF UIO,TS TOTA,LCAPACITY 10,000 KILOWATTS 'oI\N'J nor 1r><:!<KN 56J.,lf f.r I1r<MMJ I~ 1MIo..,64M /..,/ OUTFLOW "~ ~ , m AC.' ~ , I I ,I 1 I • •o o •o 0 LOWER QUARTILE~ iiii1~=========::::::;;:MOiilljHA~ -~>.Uc2;<tIIr<::l:)-Z"'C1... )- .. ;:>'-'.;="""")-2'" )-... "' .... g ~ :' ; :r ~ =: "! ~ ~I (5 £ ~ :;\ :t ~ ~ ~ __'__'__•__~~I I1------ w.. ... y,~, 117~------l.------w ••e<v... 117$ . 2 Seedskadee STORAGE .... I ,,- -- 1- J ."'" • " , I •... ~.- . I '" '~r" -.~. .'• 2 'Y~ x:: - 6 , ". w " I• 0 - - 2 ~ , •> w" I ~ .'so > ~ w• ~ -~ 1 MOST PI'108A8r..f I UPPEI'lOVAI'lT,r..E ------ r..OWEI'l OUAOOlTlr..E ______ MOST AOVEI'l$E ......_..... I fI 6<00."', ' . o u . > o •z · 3 Flaming Gorge Reservoir has been operated as p"rt of the Colorado River Storage I>rojecl in Flaming Gorge accordance with governing comp3cts and laws 10 provide optimum power production. recreational Reservoir opportunities, and fbh and wildlife benelits. On september 30. 1973. Flaming Gorge was at elevation 6,026 feet with an active storage of 3.180,000 acre-fccl. Releases for power production c<luscd the reservoir to recede 9 feel during the rail and winter to elevation 6.017 feet. The April-J uly 1974 runoff above Flaming Gorge was 1,430,000 acre-feet. or I'23 percent of the long-time aver..lge. With this runoff. Flaming Gorge filled for the fir<;1 lime on August I. 1974. at , elevation 6.040 feet wilh an active storage of 3.750.000 acre-feet. The reservoir was held near the seasona.l maximum through the recrealjon i season. (Chart :!) ~ Reservoir releascs were higher lhan normal Chart 2 during August and September 1974. This was a resull of coordina led operation with olher STItoTlSTICS reservoirs so we could reduce Glen Canyon release~ ACTIVE STORACE- to meet the operation criteria. R(SERVO"! IACRE·FEETI ELEVATION CfEETl /AA,lCl,",UIroISTOR"G£ J.I~9000 8OlIO RATED HEAO 1.061,000 MM6 /111"""""111 "'OWER 133,000 5811 SURfACE ARE'" IFULl) 42,010 ACRES AESlAVQIA lENG TH IfULLI 91 MILES POWER PLANT Nvtol8[R Of UNITS TOTAL CAPACITY or \)NITS 108,OOOKllOWAns ·~norflv:~4(),()(J()."'HI(J,_.ltN.~5I4D"1 OUTFLOW • AVE J I i , , , I II, 0 II I • LOWEA OUAATILE 4 Hamillg Gorgt! OfJm and Resen'oir, Flaming Gorge UI/it. Colorado Ril'tr StOrage Project, Utah· Wyoming STORAGE 6040 : I '-- - - 6000 -. - ,."" ,• E I , ""'" I '"~ I • " I I I I , ~ ""'" "~ I ! li ~ is : ! I ,,"OST "ROS.SL[ • • ".. U'"[''' ou... ,.nLE ----- - " I LOW£R ou.",nl.[ -----............. I I I MOST AOVEM£ 56.. I I I '59' IIII ,I I II . > • > 5 At the end of September 1973, Bille Mesa Reservoir had 716.000 acre-feet of active storage Curccanti Unit and a water surface elevation of 7,506 feet. The reservoir was drawn down to elevation 7,4-11 feel by April I, 1974, with a content of 267,000 ! acre-feel. During April-July 1974. inflow to Blue Mesa was 555,000 acre-reet, with a 1974 water _..-j year total of 767,000 acre-feet. The seasonal high for the reservoir was elevation 7,497 feet and an active storage of 640.000 acre-feet. During water year 1974, a minimum flow of 200 ft3/s was maintained below Gunnison Tunnel. The March I, 1974, forecast of the April-July I 1974 inflow to Blue Mesa was 800.000 acre-feeL The flood control diagram sJlowed that the i reservoir CQuid have remained full the remainder of the snowmelt season; thererore, the operation or Blue Mesa did not include releases ror Oood ~ control. (Chart 3) During the period May I through Chart 3 Blue MeS<l Resenolr September 30, 1974. low releases rrom Blue Mesa STATISTICS insured a flow or not more than 1,500 n3{s in ACTIVE STORAG£, the Crystal Dam sile area. Most or the spring RESERVOIR lACRE FEET! ElEVATION tHETI runorf was slored behind Blue Mesa Dam. MAXIMUM STOIlAG£ 8~,~23 1519 IlATEOHEjf,O 2<l9.39!i 1·U8 MINIMUM POWER 81,010 1393 SURFACE AR(A IFULLJ 111110 ACRES RE5I.RVOtll LENGTH (FULI.I 2. MILES POWER PLANT NUM8ER OF UNITS 2 TOTAL CAPACITY OF UNITS ro,lXXI KILOWATTS '1/<* "'" /l>C11JIJI "I.U2.e-. fH' ofdf,td ltot.bf/o... 1JS8lft1' OUTFLOW Blue Mesa Dam, Curecantl Unit. Colorado River Storage Project. Colorado STORAGE \ 1519 ,- - , ,- -- B ... , , • I -T_.... • '"I 1-f.. ..1-- ~ I • ,.; w w ~~f ·"w , •w ;;· ,-. I , ~ I • I w• I I "~ ·I • , ! "00 I LEGEND ~ - ~ MOST'AO....llLE • U~EA I QUAIUILE ---- I LOWEII' OUAATILE - -_. MOST ADVERSE -....._- I I , -....., 00 "7186 I II I I • > w • 7 Morrow Point Reservoir was essentially full during water year 1974.