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<br />October 1, 1999, in the Federal Register. A draft EIS was released on September 4,2002. The <br />completion ofthe final EIS and Record of Decision is scheduled to occur in 2003. <br /> <br />Under the most probable and maximum probable inflow scenarios during water year 2003, Navajo <br />Reservoir is not expected to fill. Releases from the reservoir will be held near 500 cfs (14 cms) <br />through the fall and winter months and large releases will likely be made in May and June pursuant <br />to the Flow Recommendations to improve the habitat and provide better spawning conditions for <br />endangered fish in the San Juan River. <br /> <br />Lake Powell <br /> <br />Lake Powell began water year 2002 with 20.9 maf (25,800 mcm) of storage (86 percent of capacity). <br />From October 2001 through January 2002, releases from Glen Canyon Dam were scheduled to <br />achieve equalization of storage between Lake Mead and Lake Powell by the end of water year 2002 <br />in accordance with Article 1I(3) of the Operating Criteria. Inflow projections were reduced in <br />February, 2002 with forecasted April through July unregulated inflow to Lake Powell only 7.7 maf <br />(5,800 mcm) or 59 percent of average. This forecast was sufficiently low that storage equalization no <br />longer became the governing criterion in the 2002 operation. From February, 2002 through the end <br />of the water year, releases were scheduled to maintain the minimum release objective from Lake <br />Powell of 8.23 maf (10,150 mcm) for water year 2002 in accordance with Article 1I(2) of the <br />Operating Criteria. <br /> <br />April through July unregulated inflow into Lake Powell in water year 2002 was 1.12 maf (1,380 <br />mcm), or 14 percent of average. Water year 2002 unregulated inflow was 3.06 maf (3,770 mcm), or <br />25 percent of average. Unregulated inflow in 2002 was the lowest recorded since the closure of <br />Glen Canyon Dam. The previous low occurred in 1977. <br /> <br />Lake Powell normally increases in elevation during the April through July runoff period. Inflow <br />was so low in the spring of 2002, however, that reservoir storage in Lake Powell continued to <br />decline throughout the runoff period. The elevation of Lake Powell on September 30, 2002 was <br />3,626.5 feet (1,105.4 meters) (73.5 feet from full). Lake Powell ended water year 2002 with 14.5 <br />maf(17,800 mcm) of storage (59 percent of capacity). <br /> <br />On April 24, 2002, members of the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) <br />recommended to the Secretary that a two-year experimental flow test be made from Glen Canyon <br />Dam beginning in water year 2003. The recommendation addressed the decline of two key <br />resources in the Grand Canyon: sediment and population viability of endangered humpback chub. <br /> <br />Reclamation, the National Park Service, and the United States Geological Survey have jointly <br />prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) <br />to document the impacts of these proposed experimental flows. This EA incorporates a Biological <br />Assessment for the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The <br />proposed experimental flows could be implemented in 2003 depending upon the outcome of the <br />NEP A process, and ESA consultations. The experimental flows would not alter the total volume of <br />water to be released from Lake Powell in water year 2003. <br /> <br />December 13,2002 <br /> <br />14 <br />