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<br />NA VAJO - The Bureau of Reclamation increased the release from Navajo Reservoir from 500 cubic
<br />feet per second (cfs) to 650 cfs, on Tuesday, September 20,2005, at 9:00 a.m. Reservoir releases are
<br />made for the authorized purposes of the Navajo Unit, and to attempt to maintain a target base flow
<br />through the endangered fish critical habitat reach ofthe San Juan River (Farmington to Lake
<br />Powell).
<br />
<br />The San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program recommends a target base flow of 500
<br />cfs through the critical habitat area. The target base flow is calculated as the weekly average of
<br />gaged flows throughout the critical habitat area, therefore daily flows of less than 500 cfs may occur
<br />at some gages. The public will be notified as changes occur to releases. Reclamation will continue
<br />to closely monitor the hydrologic conditions in the basin.
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<br />Precipitation for the month of September was recorded at 140 percent of average. Unregulated
<br />inflow into Navajo Reservoir during the month of August was 26,000 acre-feet, or 66 percent of
<br />average. Currently, the daily reservoir inflow is averaging about 950 cfs while reservoir releases are
<br />set at 650 cfs, and NIIP diversions are 350 cfs. The reservoir water surface elevation is 6072.59 feet,
<br />which corresponds to a storage content of about 1,517,000 acre-feet. The unregulated reservoir
<br />inflow into Navajo Reservoir during water year 2005 was 1,436,000 acre-feet, or about 129 percent
<br />of average.
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<br />A public meeting on Navajo Reservoir operations was held on Thursday, August 18, 2005 at 1 :00
<br />p.m. in Farmington, New Mexico. At this meeting, review oflast spring and summer reservoir
<br />operations, and plans for this fall 2005 operations were discussed. These are open forum discussions
<br />on the operation of Navajo Reservoir with many interested groups participating. Anyone interested
<br />in the general operation of the reservoir is encouraged to attend. Please contact Pat Page in
<br />Reclamation's Durango, Colorado Office at (970) 385-6560 for information about these meetings or
<br />the daily operation of Navajo Reservoir.
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<br />Glen Canvon Dam Operations
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<br />A test release began from Glen Canyon Dam on September 3, 2005 and is scheduled to continue
<br />through October 31,2005. This test release is being implemented to analyze the effects of two flow
<br />regimes (steady and limited fluctuating flows) on endangered humpback chub habitats and on
<br />conservation of fine sediment in the river corridor below Glen Canyon Dam.
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<br />From September 3, 2005 through September 20, 2005, the fluctuation range in Glen Canyon Dam
<br />releases was limited to a low of6,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) ranging to a high of 9,000 cfs.
<br />From September 21,2005 and continuing through October 7, 2005, scheduled releases have been
<br />steady at 8,000 cfs. From October 8,2005 through October 19, 2005, releases are scheduled return
<br />to the 6,500 to 9,000 cfs fluctuating flow regime. From October 20,2005 through October 31,2005
<br />scheduled releases return to the steady 8,000 cfs regime to complete the test.
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<br />The monthly release volume in October 2005 is 500,000 acre-feet. In November 2005, the volume
<br />of water scheduled to be released is also 500,000 acre-feet. In November releases are likely to vary
<br />between a low of 5,000 cfs during night time "off-peak" hours, to 10,000 cfs during day time "on-
<br />peak" hours.
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