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1 P 1 P-J, 1 I CHAPTER 3 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3.1 Hydrology The primary source of streamflow in the Upper Colorado River basin above the confluence with the Gunnison River is the spring melting of accumulated winter snowpack. The annual hydrograph of rivers in the study area shows the highest streamflows occurring during the late spring and early summer months. Streamflow is at its lowest during the.winter months. Streamflows in the Fryingpan River are stored in Ruedi Reservoir during the peak runoff period, and then released later in the year for use in downstream reaches of the Fryingpan, Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers. Ruedi Dam and Reservoir is a major structural feature of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project (Project). The reservoir has an active conservation capacity of 102,373 of at an elevation of 7,766.0 feet. Ruedi Reservoir's replacement capacity provides for replacement of water diverted out of priority from the west slope to the east slope by the Project. Ruedi's regulatory capacity provides for other uses on the west slope. Table 3.1 displays these pools and the volumes associated with each. The replacement capacity and the regulatory capacity deserve additional description. The Operating Principles for Ruedi Reservoir describe the replacement capacity as that needed to replace water diverted out of priority to the Arkansas Basin by the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The original replacement reservoir, which was not constructed, would have had a capacity of 28,000 af. The final construction of Ruedi Reservoir also provided a regulatory capacity that would serve west slope users. The marketable yield pool represents the portion of the regulatory capacity of Ruedi Reservoir, which was established for water marketing purposes. For the purpose of analyzing marketable yield for west slope users, the replacement pool of Ruedi Reservoir was assumed to be 28,000 af.