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<br />o <br />Co) SUMMARY OF 1996 OPERATIONS <br />1-\ <br />~ <br />W Water year 1996 runoff was above average throughout the Colorado-Big Thompson Project <br />ty (Project) varying from 114 percent of average for the inflow into Willow Creek Reservoir to 148 <br />percent of average for the inflow into Green Mountain Reservoir. <br /> <br />Peak inflows to reservoirs within the Project occurred in mid June with the exception of Willow <br />Creek Reservoir which peaked on May 17 at 1,342 ft3/S. Inflow to Green Mountain Reservoir <br />peaked on June 22 at 3,985 ft3/S. Inflow to Lake Granby peaked on June 22 at 2,949 it /s and <br />inflow to Lake Estes peaked on June 11 at 828 ft3/s. The undepleted inflow into Green Mountain <br />Reservoir for May was the highest of record at 135,300 acre-feet since historical records began <br />in 1943. <br /> <br />The maximum release at Green Mountain Reservoir was 2,519 ft3/S. on June 24. . A total volume <br />of25,678 acre-feet was spilled at Green Mountain Reservoir in water year 1996. River releases <br />from Willow Creek Reservoir and Lake Granby were much above the normal releases made to <br />meet minimum required releases for fish habitat. Willow Creek Reservoir bypassed 49,743 acre- <br />feet and Lake Granby spilled 72,800 acre-feet during water year 1996. The Lake Granby spill was <br />the second highest of record since records began in 1962. The river release at Willow Creek <br />Reservoir peaked at 1,340 ft3/s on May 17 and the river release from Lake Granby peaked at 2,525 <br />ft3/s for a daily average on June 22. The instaneous peak of3,100 ft3/S on June 22 was an all time <br />recorded high release from Lake Granby. The maximum release at Lake Estes was 928 ft3/s on <br />June 7. Project water deliveries peaked on May 4-8 at 1200 ft3/S at Horsetooth Reservoir and 401 <br />ft3/S on August l7at Carter Lake. The maximum project delivery of514 if/s occurred on May <br />8 to the Big Thompson River. <br /> <br />Water year 1996 precipitation totals for October-September were much above average and ranged <br />from 100 percent of average for the Willow Creek and Lake Granby watersheds to 163 percent <br />of average for the Lake Estes and St. Vrain watersheds. <br /> <br />Winter precipitation (October-January) on the Project was much above average at 181 percent <br />of average. Green Mountain Dam during January received 3.97 inches of precipitation which was <br />345 percent of average. The east slope of the Project was very wet. During January, the Lake <br />Estes and St. Vrain watersheds received 3.04 inches of precipitation which was 475 percent of <br />average, and the Poudre watershed received 1.56 inches of precipitation which was 459 percent <br />of average. January 1 snowpack totals were 112 percent of average for the Upper Colorado Basin <br />and 154 percent of average for the South Platte Basin. February I snowpack totals were also very <br />high ranging from 127 percent for the Willow Creek watershed to 198 percent for the St. Vrain <br />watershed. Temperatures were varied for October-January over the Project. Fort Collins, <br />Colorado recorded the highest January 13 temperature since 1888 at 73 OF. <br /> <br />On December 13, 1995; during a routine switching procedure, the Flatiron Powerplant 480-volt <br />station service tie breaker delayed in closing, setting off a chain of events that ended with an <br />explosion in Pump/Generator Unit 3. The explosion ruptured the air housing of the unit, lifted <br />the covers off the plant roof, generated a fireball, and caused extensive other damage in the plant. <br /> <br />I <br />