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Coordinated Reservoir Operations <br />Peak snow-water equivalents and reservoir pool levels in the upper Colorado River basin <br />were sufficient in 1997, 1998 and 1999, thus reservoir operations were coordinated in these three <br />years to deliver higher flows to the 15-mile reach. Plans were also in place to bypass flows in <br />2000; however, very warm weather in early spring that year rapidly depleted the snowpack, and <br />bypass operations were called off. <br />Coordinated reservoir operations were implemented for 7 days in 1998, resulting in the <br />release of an additional 24,000 acre-feet from upper basin reservoirs. Figure 10 shows that these <br />releases increased the peak discharge in the 15 Mile Reach by about 1,500 cfs (40 m3/s) and <br />extended the duration of the peak runoff period by several days. In 1999, coordinated reservoir <br />operations were implemented for 10 days, resulting in the release of an additional 40,000 acre- <br />feet from upper basin reservoirs. Figure 10 shows that these releases increased the peak <br />discharge in the 15 Mile Reach by about 2,000 cfs (56 m3/s). <br />Colorado River near Cameo, CO <br />i <br />i f <br />(4 <br /> <br /> E ? g <br /> <br /> l " <br /> I <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> k <br /> i <br /> <br /> <br />5 <br />. t <br />r? err wsw , fit laps wpm ? aaus x <br /> wr <br />Figure 10. Record of discharge at the USGS gauging station on the Colorado River, near <br />Cameo, Colorado for periods of snowmelt runoff in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999. Dotted line <br />indicates the discharge that would have occurred at this location without the added flow <br />produced by coordinated reservoir operations. <br />27