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<br />Ruedi Reservoir has 5,000 acre-feet firm and 5,000 acre-feet of water four out of five
<br />years through re-regulation obligated for release to assist with recovery ofthe endangered
<br />Colorado River fishes, In water year 2000, Reclamation contracted the Colorado Water
<br />Conservation Board to provide an additional 10,825 acre-feet of water to the Fish and
<br />Wildlife Service to assist in meeting target flows in the 15-M ile Reach. Due to the
<br />generally drier than average conditions in the Colorado River basin, the target flow for the
<br />15-Mile Reach was set at 800 cfs for the summer. Reservoir releases of 50 cfs for the
<br />endangered fish began on July 15, These releases were gradually increased to 250 cfs by
<br />the middle of August and then gradually reduced to 92 cfs by the end of August,
<br />Endangered fish flow releases ranged from 92 cfs to 144 cfs for the first three weeks of
<br />September, with releases ceasing on September 22 through October 11. Releases of 35
<br />cfs for the endangered fish resumed on October 12 and terminated for the year on October
<br />26, A total of 20,360 acre-feet was released from Ruedi Reservoir for the year, With the
<br />exception of two nine-day periods, one in June and one in August, the flows in the
<br />Fryingpan River were maintained below 300 cfs throughout the irrigation/flow
<br />augmentation season,
<br />
<br />Due to the relatively warm and dry conditions within the basin and the relatively large
<br />endangered fish flow releases, Ruedi Reservoir finished the water year with 80,284 acre-
<br />feet in storage on September 30, This end-of-year storage represents 94 percent of
<br />average and is at an elevation of about 7742 feet. The total inflow to the reservoir from
<br />April through September was 93,100 acre-feet, or about 82 percent of average,
<br />
<br />Exhibits 1 and 2 show the precipitation and pan evaporation at Meredith, Colorado, near
<br />Ruedi Reservoir. Table 2 and Exhibit 3 depict the monthly operation of the reservoir
<br />during water year 2000,
<br />
<br />B. West Slooe Collection System and Proiect Diversions
<br />
<br />The import of Project water through the Boustead Tunnel began on April 28, 2000, and
<br />concluded on July 31,2000. The daily discharge record for the diversion structures is
<br />included as Appendix D. A total of 44,830 acre-feet was imported during the 2000 water
<br />year, which was 69 percent of average. There was no Busk-Ivanhoe water imported
<br />through the Boustead Tunnel. The maximum mean daily import was 931 ft'/s on May 31,
<br />2000, The most probable forecasts for the first of February, March, April, and May were
<br />50,000 acre-feet, 51,000 acre-feet, 51,600 acre-feet, and 48,200 acre-feet, respectively,
<br />
<br />The total imports for the water year, the accumulated imports to the Arkansas River, the
<br />water used for the Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company exchange, and the import
<br />water available for allocations by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District,
<br />are shown on Table 5. The 29 years of accumulated imports total 1,442,200 acre-feet,
<br />for an average of 49,731 acre-feet per year, A plot of the Boustead Tunnel imports
<br />during water year 2000 is shown on Exhibit 5,
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