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<br />runoff season, 1,200 acre-feet of priority eastern slope water was stored in either Carter Lake or
<br />Horsetooth Reservoir. Operation of skim this water year was 182 percent of average.
<br />
<br />The natural inflow into Lake Estes peaked on June 5, at an estimated 1,110 ft3/s. Releases to the
<br />Big Thompson River below Olympus Dam peaked at 1,125 fe Is on June 3, 1997. June 1997
<br />precipitation was significantly higher than the month before, at 3.39 inches or 182 percent of
<br />average. Total inflow for June was estimated at 50,400 acre-feet or 154 percent of average.
<br />
<br />A verage August precipitation at Lake Estes was estimated at 1.49 inches, which was only 68
<br />percent of average. Average precipitation for the water year (October-September) was estimated at
<br />24.75 inches or 141 percent of average. The inflow above Lake Estes was 136,300 acre-feet for
<br />water year 1997, and this was 151 percent of average.
<br />
<br />Estes Power Plant generation totaled 110,500,000 kilowatt-hours for the water year and was
<br />7,600,000 kilowatt-hours above average.
<br />
<br />Carter Lake
<br />
<br />Completed in 1952 with three dams, Carter Lake has a total storage capacity of 112,200 acre-feet.
<br />Inflow of Project water to Carter Lake is from the Flatiron Pumping Plant with a maximum
<br />capacity of 400 fe Is.
<br />
<br />Carter Lake storage content at the beginning of the water year was 48,285 acre-feet, which was
<br />well below the 30-year average of 54,440 acre-feet.
<br />
<br />Pumping to Carter Lake from Flatiron Reservoir started October 29, and continued through
<br />November 23. Pumping was shut down for the remainder of November, as the storage volume at
<br />Carter Lake surpassed 60,000 acre-feet. Pumping resumed on December 10, and continued for 17
<br />days, when Carter Lake's capacity had reached 70,915 acre-feet. An additional 15,310 acre-feet
<br />were pumped into Carter Lake in January 1997, 16,345 acre-feet in February, and 9,071 acre-feet in
<br />March. By March 16, total storage volume had reached 109,496 acre-feet. Throughout the
<br />following months, pumping was resumed several times to keep the storage volume close to the
<br />maximum capacity of 112,300 acre-feet. By the end of August, storage at Carter Lake had dropped
<br />below 80,000 acre-feet. It finished the water year with a storage volume of 65,546 acre-feet.
<br />
<br />The maximum storage for the water year was reached on May 1. A total volume of 111,886 acre-
<br />feet was estimated with a water surface elevation 5,758.70 feet.
<br />
<br />Deliveries to theSt.Vrain Supply Canal began on April 1, with a total for the month of 5,002 acre-
<br />feet, including metered delivery. Water deliveries for May increased to a total of 8,028 acre-feet,
<br />and dropped for the month of June to 2,355 acre-feet.
<br />
<br />Project water deliveries increased dramatically in July, with a total of 19,868 acre-feet. Project
<br />water deliveries totaled 8,508 acre-feet in August and 12,450 acre-feet in September. The storage
<br />at the end of water year was 65,546 acre-feet, 11,106 acre-feet above the 30-year average.
<br />
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