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<br />T <br /> <br />HIGHLIGHTS OF 1976 OPERATION <br /> <br />Total Western Division System carryover storage was above normal <br />at the beginning of Water Year 1976.l/ The total system carryover <br />storage included the major reservoirs of the North Platte River area <br />with 128 percent, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project with 111 percent, <br />and the Bighorn area with 99 percent of the recent 10-year average. <br /> <br />Total winter precipitation over the Western Division System was gener- <br />ally below normal, while winter temperatures averaged above normal, <br />especially during December. <br /> <br />Water supply forecasts on February 1 and April 1 indicated below <br />normal runoff for nearly all areaS of the Western Division System. <br /> <br />The usual April-July snowmelt runoff pattern was significantly de- <br />layed, reflecting abnormally cold temperatures during April and May. <br /> <br />Actual reservoir inflows during the April-July runoff period were <br />generally below normal and considerably lower than the early season <br />predictions. <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />Severe thunderstorms (unofficial reports of 10 inches or more of <br />rain) rampaged across the Big Thompsotl River drainage area below <br />Estes Park, Colorado, during the evening of July 31 creating a torrent <br />of water which flowed down the narrow Big Thompson Canyon. A wall <br />of water roared through the canyon during darkness catching local <br />residents and vacationing campers by surprise and leaving 150 people <br />dead and millions of dollars of property damage in its wake. <br /> <br />Alcova to Guernsey Reservoir River gains were again much below normal <br />during the summer months, thus adding to the burden of moving addi- <br />tional water through the restricted release facilities of Pathfinder <br />Reservoir for heavy downstream irrigation needs. Total North Platte <br />irrigation deliveries through September 30 were 111 percent of normal. <br /> <br />A total of 93,900 acre-feet of water was released through Pathfinder <br />Dam river outlet valves during July and August to meet the heavy <br />irrigation demands from Guernsey Reservoir. <br /> <br />l/ A water year runs from October 1 of one year through September 30 <br />of the following calendar year. <br /> <br />/"""' 5 <br /> <br />_,';~A <br />