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<br />On August 16, 1995, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) No. 95-07-40-R1760 was signed by the <br />Bureau ofRecIamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and Colorado Water Conservation <br />Board. The purpose of the MOA was to provide water to the Redlands Fish Ladder and assure at <br />least 300 cfs (8.5 cms) offlow in the 2-mile reach of the Gunnison River between the Redlands Fish <br />Ladder and the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers (2-mile reach). This MOA was <br />extended for an additional five years on June 30,2000. A key provision of the MOA requires that <br />the parties adopt a plan to share water shortages in .dry years, when total storage at Blue Mesa <br />Reservoir is projected to drop below 0.4 maf (493 mcm) by the end of the calendar year. <br />Accordingly, a plan to share physical water shortages due to the extremely dry hydrological <br />conditions occurring in the Gunnison River Basin was developed for water year 2002 and <br />implemented among the MOA parties, along with another separate contract between the Colorado <br />River Water Conservation District and Redlands Water and Power Company to offset hydropower <br />losses. As was formally agreed by all parties, operations undertaken during calendar years 2002 and <br />2003, to lessen the impacts of the severe drought conditions to a reasonable extent, did not establish <br />or set any precedent that such operations will continue or occur again in the future. The runofffor <br />2003 was sufficient enough that it was not necessary to operate under shared shortage criteria. <br /> <br /> <br />January 7, 2004 12 <br />from Flaming Gorge Dam, under the most probable scenario, in the winter and early spring <br />months of2004 will be relatively low (approximately 800 cfs) in order to conserve reservoir storage. <br /> <br />Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs (Aspinall Unit) <br /> <br />Drought conditions prevailed again in the Gunnison River Basin during water year 2003. The April <br />through July unregulated runoff into Blue Mesa Reservoir in 2003 was only 0.429 maf(529 mcm), <br />or 60 percent of average. Water year 2003 unregulated inflow was 0.632 maf (780 mcm), or 63 <br />percent of average. Even though this marks the fourth consecutive year of drought, water year 2003 <br />had considerably more runoff volume than the record low water year set in 2002. The net effect of <br />the 2003 runoff and the water conservation practices in the basin during the year resulted in Blue <br />Mesa Reservoir increasing in storage during the water year 2003 by 0.112 maf(138 mcm). Storage <br />in Blue Mesa Reservoir on September 30, 2003, was 0.387 maf (477 mcm), or 47 percent of <br />capacity. <br /> <br />Releases from Aspinall Unit reservoirs in 2003 were at lower than normal levels, in part, to conserve <br />reservoir storage. Releases from the Aspinall Unit were reduced on October 15,2002, to provide for <br />a flow of 250 cfs (7.1 cms) in the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon. This flow was <br />maintained until early May 2003 at which time flows in the Black Canyon were increased to 300 cfs <br />(8.5 cms). Water year 2003 powerplant bypasses were approximately 0.084 maf (104 mcm) at <br />Crystal Dam, the result of annual system maintenance and because the powerplant was shut down <br />from November 2002 through March 2003. This winter shutdown was made because the low release <br />of250 cfs (7.1 cms) was below the minimum powerplant threshold at Crystal Dam. During the last <br />week of March 2003, releases at Crystal Dam were increased as irrigation deliveries began through <br />the Gunnison Tunnel. This allowed the Crystal powerplant to come back on line. <br /> <br />In July 2003, a final report titled, "Flow Recommendations to Benefit Endangered Fishes in the <br />Colorado and Gunnison Rivers" was published by the Upper Colorado River Recovery Program. <br />