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<br />37 <br /> <br />largest decrease in average annual yield, about 33,000 acre feet, is <br /> <br />associated with increasing the capacity of the Gunnison Tunnel to 1300 <br /> <br />cfs, which provides for proportionately greater senior irrigation <br /> <br />diversions. (Compare Scenarios 5 and 7.> The next largest decrease in <br /> <br />yield, about 32,000 acre feet, is associated with increasing the minimum <br /> <br />stream criteria for Blue Mesa storage releases from 200 cfs to 300 cfs in <br /> <br />the 29-mile reach, and with adding endangered fish flow criteria at <br /> <br />Westwater and modest M&I releases. <br /> <br />(Compare Scenarios 1 and 3.) <br /> <br />Increasing the minimum stream flow criteria in the 29-mile reach from 300 <br /> <br />to 600 cfs during the boating season decreases the average annual yield by <br /> <br />about another 25,000 acre feet (compare Scenarios 3 and 5>, while <br /> <br />asserting more senior direct flow water rights for minimum stream flows <br /> <br />has little additional impact on the average hydropower yield. (Compare <br /> <br />Scenarios 3 and 4, and Scenarios 5 and 6. > <br /> <br />7. If no senior downstream conditional water rights are developed, <br /> <br />historic Blue Mesa operations improve the average annual yield for a <br /> <br />junior hydropower water right at the Tunnel from about 210,000 acre feet <br /> <br />to 293,000 acre feet. (Compare Scenarios 1 and 10.) Junior hydropower <br /> <br />yield is reduced by the assertion of the 300 cfs P&M water right for <br /> <br />minimum stream flow purposes, but is again improved markedly frmB about <br /> <br />108,000 acre feet to 284,000 acre feet by historic Blue Mesa operations. <br /> <br />(Compare Scenarios 2 and 11.) Increasing the minimum stream flow criteria <br /> <br /> <br />for Blue Mesa storage releases from 200 to 300 cfs and from 300 to 600 <br /> <br /> <br />essentially reallocates some, but not all, of the flow benefits of <br /> <br />WBLA, Inc. 1909 Bt'oadway, #3, Boulder, Colorado 80302 <br /> <br />