Laserfiche WebLink
<br />WAYNE N. ASPINALL UNIT <br />BLUE MESA, MORROW POINT, AND <br />CRYSTAL RESERVOIRS <br />(GUNNISON RIVER) <br /> <br /> <br />Water Year 1989 <br /> <br />The Wayne N. Aspinall Unit, is comprised of Blue Mesa, <br />Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs. Blue Mesa provides <br />nearly all of the long-term storage and regulation for all three <br />powerplants. Morrow Point provides peaking power, and thus <br />has highly variable releases, The primary function of the <br />Crystal Reservoir is to regulate the variable Morrow Point <br />releases. <br /> <br />The Gunnison River Basin experienced below average runoff <br />for water years 1988 and 1989. which substantially reduced <br />reservoir storage. In 1988, Blue Mesa Reservoir peaked at 40 <br />feet from full capacity and in 1989 had recovered to within 18 <br />feet of capacity. This recovery was accomplished by limiting <br />releases from Crystal Reservoir to provide minimum <br />stream flows of 300 cfs through the Black Canyon of the <br />Gunnison River. <br /> <br />Blue Mesa Reservoir began water year 1989 at elevation <br />7472,0 feel with a storage of 449,000 acre-feet. The reservoir <br />was at elevation 7473.4 feet by January 1,1989, and the April <br />through July runoff forecast at that time was 670,000 acre-feet, <br />or 96 percent of the long-term average, The reservoir inflow <br />forecast continued to decline for each month's forecast <br />through the entire runoff season until on June 1, the forecast <br />had declined to 429,000 acre-feet, or 47 percent of average. <br />Due to these below average forecasts, releases from Blue <br /> <br />ACTUAL CRYSTAL RELEASES <br /> <br />WY 1989 <br /> <br />1000 ora <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />NDJFMAMJJASO <br /> <br />Mesa Powerplant averaged about 34 percent of maximum <br />powerplant capacity for January through May, By June 30, <br />1989, Blue Mesa Reservoir had reached a maximum elevation <br />of 7501.72 feet with a storage of 675,350 acre-feet, or 81 <br />percent of capacity, The maximum peak inflow to the <br />reservoir of 3,058 cfs occurred on May 30,1989, <br /> <br />The actual April through July unregulated runoff into Blue <br />Mesa Reservoir was 444.000 acre-feet, or 57 percent of <br />average, The total water year 1989 inflow was 671.000 <br />acre-feet, or 61 percent of average, Releases from Blue Mesa <br />Dam totaled 518,000 acre-feet for the water year, <br /> <br />Morrow Point Reservoir was operated between elevations <br />7154 and 7160 feet. The April through July side inflow into <br />Morrow Point Reservoir was 38,000 acre-feet, or 54 percent <br />of average, A total of 576,000 acre-feet was released during <br />the water year, <br /> <br />Crystal Reservoir was operated to meet minimum <br />downstream commitments during water year 1989, The April <br />through July side inflow to Crystal was 38,000 acre-feet, which <br />was 32 percenl of average, A total of 658,000 acre-feet was <br />released during the water year, of which 124,000 acre-feet <br />bypassed the powerplant. During water year 1989 the <br />maximum release from Crystal Reservoir was 1400 cfs, <br /> <br />BLUE MESA RESERVOIR <br /> <br />Reservoir <br /> <br />Acre-feet <br /> <br />Elevation. feet <br /> <br />Maximum Storage <br />Rated Head <br />Minimum Power <br />Surface Area, full <br />Reservoir Length, full <br /> <br />829,523 <br />249,395 <br />81,070 <br /> <br />7,519 <br />7,438 <br />7,393 <br />9,180 Acres <br />24 Miles <br /> <br />Powerplants (Blue Mesa. Morrow Point, & Crystal) <br /> <br />Number of Units <br />Total Capacity <br /> <br />5 <br />208,000 KW <br /> <br />9 <br />