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OOlJ720 CHAPTER 2 GROUND RULES, ASSUMPTIONS AND ANALYSIS PROCEDURES 2.1 INTRODUCTION The Executive Committee and the consultant team established ground rules in Phase 1 under which the feasibility investigation of alternatives for supplying an annual average of 20,000 acre-feet of water in those years when the forecast spring peak flows are between 12,900 cfs and 26,600 cfs would proceed. The Executive Committee and the team also identified assumptions that are necessary to facilitate the study. The purpose of this section is to detail the ground rules and assumptions that have been made for this investigation and to provide explanation and justification for them. The frequency and certainty with which the average annual 20,000 acre-feet will be made available is detailed in the Flow Targets section below. " 2.2 GROUND RULES .2.2.1 Administration Recommended alternatives from this investigation do not need to include recommendations for a mechanism for administration or legal protection of water released or otherwise supplied during the spring peak to the head of the 1S-Mile Reach. This is because there is unappropriated water available during the spring peak in years when flows at the head of the 1S-Mile Reach are in the range of . 12,900 to 26,600 cfs. From an administrative standpoint, the river is under "free river" conditions, and therefore administration of flows past intervening water rights is currently unnecessary. As specified in the PBO, any new depletion during this period of the year may be covered under the PBO. For the same reason, the conversion of water rights to instream flows in order to protect and convey flows to the head of the 1S-Mile Reach during the spring peak will not be considered further. . With regard to the secondary study purpose of providing flows in the late irrigation season, potential administrative mechanisms will need to be identified to protect the water to and through the 1S-Mile Reach because the river is generally on call during that time of the year. During Phase 1, the issue of how bypassed diversions to storage would be administered has been discussed. Several alternatives for administration exist: . Bypassed diversions to storage would be credited toward a "paper fill" of the reservoir and the reservoir would attempt to achieve a subsequent physical fill using a junior refill right. This is essentially the administration agreed to by the SWAT team and used to decree the Clinton Gulch, Green Mountain and Dillon refills. Bypassed diversions to storage would not be credited toward a paper fill under an administrative policy such that bypasses are regulatory in nature and the reservoir would attempt to fill later under its own priority. . II P: \Dat:! \GEN\CWCB\19665\Repon Phase 2\FinalRepon12,Q2\Final_ Draft _ Repon(l-03),doc 13