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some non-consumptive uses of the reservoir which may have an effect on its operation, <br />such as recreation, are not considered in this analysis. Nor is the variance of economic <br />benefits from year to year considered. <br />Whether the strategy of running the reservoir dry is acceptable from a standpoint of risk <br />management is beyond the scope of this study. <br />Tualatin Project Oregon <br />Economic theory would suggest the optimal size of a multi-purpose reservoir is where <br />the marginal benefits of the reservoir, summed across all uses, are equal to the marginal <br />cost of the reservoir development costs. The modeling system is capable of estimating <br />marginal benefits of alternative reservoir sizes for proposed projects. This is illustrated <br />in an ex post analysis of the Tualatin Project in Northwest Oregon. <br />The Tualatin Project area lies near the City of Portland, Oregon. The main project <br />features are Scoggins Dam, which forms Henry Hagg Lake. The reservoir has an active <br />capacity of 59,170 acre-feet. Of approximate annual releases of 62,000 acre-feet, about <br />25,000 acre-feet are dedicated to M&I uses in suburban Portland, 20,000 acre-feet are <br />used to maintain water quality in the Tualatin River, and the remaining 17,000 acre-feet <br />are tagged for irrigation purposes. Due to the difference in climate and related <br />hydrology the Tualatin can deliver more water than Lake Cachuma with a reservoir less <br />than one-third the size. <br />Little modification of the Operations model was necessary to accommodate the Tualatin <br />case study. Historical inflows were estimated for the period of record 1929 through <br />1952. Annual and monthly demands were obtained from the Bureau's 1970 Definite <br />Plan Report (DPR), and updated with information published in their annual project <br />reports. Physical coefficients, such as area capacity and pan evaporation were obtained <br />form the DPR also. <br />The next cheapest single purpose alternative for suburban Portland to acquire additional <br />M&I supplies is contracting directly with the city itself. The suburbs face a delivered <br />price of S180 per acre-foot for Portland city water of similar quality. <br />The economic benefit of instream flow releases is the avoided cost of advanced water <br />treatment. The Tualatin DPR estimated the avoided cost to be 513.60. Updating this . <br />cost with a construction cost index results in a 1988 avoided cost of $45 per acre-foot. <br />Ten crops are considered in the irrigation component: alfalfa, grass hay, pasture, corn <br />silage, processing beans, sweet corn, onions, potatoes, seed crops (clover and bluegrass), <br />and berries (strawberries and blackberries). Unlike the Cachuma case study, the <br />perennial crops considered in the Tualatin Project do not suffer the longer term drought <br />impacts such as those seen with avocados and citrus. Therefore, little modification of <br />the model was necessary. The rainfall volume in the study area is more than adequate <br />to provide crop consumptive water use requirements. However, rainfall is seasonal. <br />Supplemental irrigation is required in the months of May through August to ensure <br />acceptable crop yields. <br />Active capacity of the reservoir is reduced by 30,000 acre-feet in the months of October <br />and November for flood control purposes. Occurring after the irrigation season, this <br />can result in nearly draining the reservoir. Flood space requirements are relaxed to