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<br />Sandstone Reservoir was the original water storage project for the Little <br />Snake River basin sought by the Wyoming Water Development Commission. The <br />project went through several iterations until it was finally approved in 2000. A <br />brief history of the iterations follows. The planned location for Sandstone Dam <br />was in the lower portion of Savery Creek, 16 km upstream from the Little Snake <br />River. The original Sandstone Reservoir project was reviewed in a Draft <br />Environmental Impact Statement (COE 1988), but in 1990, the Army Corp of <br />Engineers (COE) recommended that a 404 permit not be issued because there was <br />no identified specific use for 20,000 af of the project yield. The denial of the 404 <br />permit was upheld again after review by the Corp in 1991. In 1992, the Wyoming <br />Water Development Commission evaluated a smaller Sandstone Reservoir that <br />would deplete 12,000 af per year, but in 1995, the COE indicated that they would <br />not issue a 404 permit unless the project was the "Ieast environmentally damaging <br />alternative II and only if the project need was narrowly defined for a "supplemental <br />late season irrigation water supply". The project was redefined to meet the <br />requirements of COE, the name was changed to II Little Snake Water Supply <br />Project II , and High Savery Dam and Reservoir on upper Savery Creek was selected <br />as the preferred alternative in 1997. The Final EIS for Little Snake Supplemental <br />Irrigation Water Supply was completed in 1999 and a 404 permit for the preferred <br />alternative was issued in 2000 (WWDC 2001). <br /> <br />High Savery Dam will be located about 68 km upstream from the Little <br />Snake River confluence and the reservoir will have a total capacity of 23,443 af. <br />Water will be stored during spring runoff and 12, 000 af of late-season irrigation <br />water will be released from July 15 until September 15 in 8 out of 10 years. <br />Minimum flow releases are planned to equal the lesser of natural inflow or 12 cfs <br />(0.34 m3/s) for aquatic habitat protection in Savery Creek. Average monthly <br />discharge in Savery Creek will be reduced up to 89% as the reservoir fills in the <br />spring and in late summer average monthly discharge will increase up to 1300%. <br /> <br />18 <br />