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<br />forum for information exchange between Reclamation and all other parties associated with the <br />operation of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The public is encouraged to attend and express their concerns <br />and interests with regard to the operation of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. For more information about <br />the Working Group please contact Ed Vidmar at 801-379-1182. <br /> <br />ASPINALL - August unregulated inflow into Blue Mesa Reservoir was 28,000 acre-feet or 43 <br />percent of average. Hydrologic conditions remain dry with drought still the controlling factor for <br />water management throughout the region. August recorded precipitation was 50 percent of average. <br />The current inflow rate into Blue Mesa Reservoir is about 450 cfs and reservoir releases are <br />averaging about 1600 cfs. Blue Mesa's present elevation is 7486.85 feet, which corresponds to a <br />storage content of about 557,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />Currently, releases from Crystal are set at 1,550 cfs. The Gunnison Diversion Tunnel is taking about <br />1,000 cfs while the river flows below the tunnel are about 550 cfs. Due to the severity of the <br />continuing drought in the Gunnison River Basin, river flows through the Black Canyon ofthe <br />Gunnison are set to meet downstream water flow rights. It is anticipated that canyon flows will <br />decrease as downstream demands slow down, which has already started and will continue until the <br />first of October when the irrigation season ends. Some fluctuation to river flows may occur as we <br />respond to these downstream water needs. <br /> <br />The last meeting ofthe "Aspinall Unit Working Group" was held on Thursday, August 26,2004 at <br />1 :00 PM at the National Park Service Elk Creek Visitor Center at Blue Mesa Reservoir. At this <br />meeting, review oflast spring and summer reservoir operations, and plans for this autumn 2004 <br />operations was discussed. These meetings are open forum discussions on the Aspinall Unit reservoir <br />operations with many interested groups participating. Anyone needing further information about <br />these meetings should contact Dan Crabtree in the Grand Junction Area Office at (970) 248-0652. <br /> <br />NA VAJO - Due to recent rainstorm activity and the associated increase in stream flows, the Bureau <br />of Reclamation decreased the release from Navajo Reservoir from 800 cubic feet per second (cfs) to <br />600 cfs on September 8, 2004, at 9:00 a.m. All reservoir releases are made for the authorized <br />purposes of the Navajo Unit, and to attempt to maintain a target base flow through the endangered <br />fish critical habitat reach ofthe San Juan River (Farmington to Lake Powell). <br /> <br />As per the recommendations from the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program for <br />2004, and with the current forecast, the target base flow for endangered fish is 400 cfs. The target <br />base flow is calculated as the weekly average of gaged flows throughout the critical habitat area, <br />therefore daily flows ofless than 400 cfs may occur at some gages. <br /> <br />Reclamation will continue to closely monitor the hydrologic conditions in the basin. As such, this <br />scheduled release change is subject to changes in river flows and weather conditions. <br /> <br />The current daily reservoir inflow is averaging about 350 cfs and reservoir releases are set at 800 <br />cfs. Presently, the reservoir water surface elevation is 6021.63 feet, which corresponds to a storage <br />content of about 927,000 acre-feet. The monthly precipitation average in the basin above Bluffwas <br />45 percent of average during August. <br /> <br />A public meeting on Navajo Reservoir operations was held on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 at 1 :00 PM <br />in Farmington, New Mexico. At this meeting, review oflast spring and summer reservoir operations, <br />