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EA 2003 Water Year AOP
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EA 2003 Water Year AOP
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Last modified
1/26/2010 4:39:39 PM
Creation date
6/25/2009 12:06:47 PM
Metadata
Fields
Template:
Water Supply Protection
File Number
8461.300
Description
EAC/RCC
State
CO
Basin
South Platte
Water Division
1
Date
1/30/2003
Author
EA Manager, EAC
Title
EA 2003 Water Year AOP
Water Supply Pro - Doc Type
Report/Study
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Several drought-related factors affected EA operations during Water Year 2002. Nebraska <br />Department of Natural Resources (DNR) accounting of EA flows at the Overton and Grand <br />Island gages, listed in Table 2(page 9), illustrates the extent to which the 42,843 af of water <br />released from the EA augmented flows at Grand Island during the release period (i.e., "...reduced <br />shortages to target flows"). Of the EA water released from Lake McConaughy, about 78 percent <br />arrived at the Overton gage, 66 percent arrived at the Kearney gage, and only about 21 percent <br />made it to Grand Island. Because of the significant losses that were experienced between <br />Overton and Grand Island, increases in EA releases above 600 cfs would have been requested, <br />however, due to channel conveyance limitations in the North Platte area, EA releases above 500 <br />cfs, during much of the release period, were not possible. Consistent with EA operating <br />guidelines and rules that disallow EA releases from causing flooding, CNPPID limited the <br />amount of EA water released, in proportion to irrigation releases, when the North Platte River at <br />North Platte rose above the National Weather Service (NWS) defined flood stage. This occurred <br />on three separate occasions during the summer augmentation period, July 6 to July 8, July 14 to <br />July 15, and July 25 to July 29. <br />According to the Platte River Accounting Program (PWAP), the tool used by DNR to track and <br />account for Platte River water in Nebraska, a portion of the EA water was diverted from the river <br />into the Kearney canal between July 7 to July 24. The Kearney canal diversion, near Elm Creek, <br />bypasses 19 miles of river completely and 30 miles of main channel habitat (i.e., the diverted <br />water is returned to the north channel of the river before returning to the south channel). <br />Diverted water is returned to the river near Kearney. Efforts are underway by DNR to better <br />track and account for water at that location. <br />EA releases were suspended temporarily on June 14 due to the cyclic returning of EA water to <br />the river at the J-2 return. The decision to suspend releases was based, in part, on numerous <br />studies on the effects of hydrocycling flows on biotic communities in aquatic systems. These <br />studies indicate that a hydrocycling pattern of EA returns may not only negate the intended <br />benefits of summertime EA releases (i.e., reduction of the magnitude and duration of high water <br />temperature events throughout the central Platte reach and maximization of habitat availability <br />for fish throughout the central Platte reach) but may actually produce negative biological effects <br />such as stranding of fish, decline in fishery reproduction and recruitment, reduction in <br />invertebrate abundance, and reduction in availability of existing invertebrates for foraging piping <br />plovers. EA releases were resumed on June 20 when flatloading of the Johnson hydrounit(s) was <br />possible and EA water would be returned to the river at a constant level. Further investigations <br />into the implications associated with hydrocycling during EA release periods will be pursued. <br />Shortly after EA releases were discontinued for the remainder of the summer (after July 28, <br />2002), 28 zero-flow days, from August 5 to August 31, were experienced at the Grand Island <br />gage. Without EA augmentation, it is possible that zero-flow conditions also could have <br />occurred during much of July in the central Platte (when both terns and plovers were re-nesting, <br />hatching, and fledging their young in the area). At the Duncan gage near Columbus 77 days of <br />zero-flow, July 6 to September 21, were observed. Observations of fish kills related to low flow <br />and high water temperature conditions in the Platte River were made by the Nebraska Game and <br />Parks Commission (NGPC), the Service, the Platte River Trust, and others. Localized fish kills <br />Water Year 2003 EA AOP 5 January 30, 2003
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