WSP12310

• File Number: 8221.110.J
• Description: Juniper-Cross Mountain Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Date: 7/21/1984
• Title: Yampa River Reservoirs No. 1 and No. 2 - Water Yield Analysis
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Reservoir Operation Criteria. Each reservoIr Is operated
accorcling to a set of criteria input into the model. The
criteria are based on the water right decrees for each project,.
on the histRric operation of existing proj ects (Yam.cola .and
steamboat ~e), and on the assumed operating schedules derived
through conversations with local water officials. The operation
criteria generally include: . ,

--decreed storage right (af)
--decreed direct fl~w right (af)
--total reservoir capacity (af)
--active reservoir capacity (af)
--conservation pool capacity (af)
--carryover st9rage (af)
--release schedules
--consumptive use 'patterns

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'~he model operates most reservoirs sq that 'they cannot store
more than .their decreed storage right in anyone year. A
reservoir cannot divert if its capacity is reached and cannot
release below the conservation pool level. Release schedules
were adjusted for several reservoirs so that storage levels would
be low prior to the runoff period. This enables the reservoirs
to fully divert all available water each year. Consumptive use
criteria were developed for the modeled reservoirs. It was
assumed that Yamcola and stagecpach Reservoirs would be used
partially for irrigation and that a portion of the reservoir
releases would enter the stream as irrigation r~urn flows.
Blacktail Reservoir was assumed to be operated for hydropower
production and all releases were returned to the streal!l system.
For all other reservoirs upstream of the Yampa River ReservoirS' -~.
Nos. 1 and 2, releases were assumed to be 1001 consumptively used'
at some downstream location and were thus unavailable to the I..!.;
stream system. . ::.:J I .
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..: All proj ects were opera ted according to any special . .
stipulations that have been imposed by the Water Court. For
example, Elk Creek Reservoir is a decreed alternate point of
diversion tor the conditional P&M Reservoir, and the Fish Creek
and Yal!lpa River pipelines which were decreed to feed the P&M
Reservoir. Stipulations' in the water right for Elk Creek
Reservoir limit its diversions to the amount of water that would
be available at the original points of diversion. ~e computer
model d~termines the volume of water available at the original
locations and does not allow'diversions by Elk Creek Reservoir to
exceed this amount. Additional stipulations in the Elk Creek
Reservoir decree allow diversions by the"junior Energy Fuels No.
2 Reservoir prior to Elk Creek Reservoir being full. Xf Elk
Creek is unable to fill, Energy Fuels No.2 must release all'
water stored junior to Elk Creek.. Thus, the computer lIIodel keeps
track of diversions by Energy Fuels that were junior to"Elk
Creek, in order that this voluoe of water ll1ay be re1eased at a
; lat~r date if Elk Creek does not fill.