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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />level). ~O\\- that releases ha\-e resumed 800 cfs, the reservoir elevation will likely begin to rebound <br />for the remainder of the summer. InflO\\-s are currently averaging about 2000 cfs. <br /> <br />The forecasted water supply for Water Year 2003 (April-July unregulated inflow) has steadily <br />declined since April. The April forecast was for 810,000 acre-feet (68% of normal) of unregulated <br />inflow during the April-July period. This was updated to 620,000 acre-teet (52% of normal) for the <br />month of May. For June, the update is now calling for 540,000 acre-feet (45% ofnonna}). This <br />reduction in the water supply forecast volume is equivalent to about 8.3 feet of elevation in Flaming <br />Gorge Reservoir. In April, the reservoir elevation was projected to rise over 10 feet during the <br />spring and summer months. Kow the projected rise is only about 3 feet during the spring and <br />summer months. <br /> <br />The next "Flaming Gorge Working Group" meeting is to be held on September 16th, 2003 in VernaL <br />Utah at 6:30 p.m. at the Western Park Convention Center. This meeting will include several <br />informative presentations regarding Green River hydrology, recovery of endangered fish in the <br />Green River as well as the health of the trout fishery below Flaming Gorge Dam. All those who are <br />interested in these topics or the Green River in general are encouraged to attend. For more <br />information about the Working Group please contact Ed Vidmar at 801-379-1182. <br /> <br />ASPIN.4LL - May unregulated inflow into Blue Mesa Reservoir was 174,000 acre-feet or 80 percent <br />of average. Hydrologic conditions remain dry, but recorded precipitation during the month of May <br />was just about normal. The current inflow rate into Blue Mesa Reservoir is about 2,800 cfs, while <br />reservoir releases are averaging about 350 cfs. Blue ~lesa's present elevation is 7476.52 feet, which <br />corresponds to a storage content of about 481,000 acre-feet. During the last week of May saw <br />record high temperatures, which quickly melted a majority of the snowpack. This resulted in some <br />very impressive streamflow rates, but which \vere only of short duration because of the limited <br />snowpack. Blue Mesa had a peak inflo\\- of 6,700 cfs on May 30, 2003. Since that time the runoff <br />has receded rather abruptly and we expect the spring runoff to reach summer base flow levels within <br />the next few weeks. On June 4,2003, the Kational Weather Service's River Forecast Center issued <br />an inflow forecast for Blue ~1esa Reservoir for the April through July runoff period. This forecast is <br />projecting a volume runotT into the reservoir of 450,000 acre-feet. This represents a 62 percent of <br />average runoff tor this time period. This is a reduction of35,000 acre-feet from last month's <br />forecasted inflow volumes. <br /> <br />The Gunnison Diversion Tunnel is currently diverting about 750 cfs while releases from Crystal <br />Dam are set at 1100 cts. The river flow below the tunnel is approximately 350 cfs. Due to the <br />severity of the drought conditions in the Gunnison River Basin, river flows through the Black <br />Canyon of the Gunnison have been set at 350 cfs. It is anticipated that canyon flows will start <br />increase as downstream demands pick up later this spring and into summer. Black Canyon flows <br />could reach as high as 750 cfs during the higher irrigation season this summer. <br /> <br />The next meeting ofthe "Aspinall "Cnit Working Group" will be held on Thursday, August 21, 2003 <br />at 1 :00 PM in the National Park Service Elk Creek Visitor Center at Blue Mesa Reservoir. At this <br />meeting. review oflast few months of reservoir operations, and plans for this Fall 2003 operations <br />will be discussed. These meetings are open forum discussions on the Aspinall Unit reservoir <br />