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In addition to institutional constraints, economics also constrain the use of the jet-tubes and spillway. Any water that bypasses the generators represents a significant loss of revenue. Use of the spillway also has a further disadvantage in that physical damage to the spillway and downstream access roads are incurred and must be repaired. These again are economic costs which can be valued and assigned to different operational objectives. Environmental Constraints Environmental Constraints are those which in some way restrict the operation of the dam to limit adverse impacts to the natural resources of the Green River. Examples of current constraints are the minimum flow for the trout fishery, moderate powerplant ramping rates, the installation of the multi-level intake structure to increase the temperature of the releases, and the avoidance of spills to limit the erosion and danger of extreme releases. Environmental constraints are closely linked to economic constraints, since maximizing one usually reduces the other. C. OPERATION UNDER THE COMPACT Flaming Gorge helps provide water to satisfy the requirements of the Colorado River Compact and the Colorado River Storage Project Act. This responsibility is also shared with the Aspinall Unit, Navajo Reservoir, and Lake Powell. Compact releases are made from Powell based upon the "Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs" (attached). Within these annual releases, monthly and daily releases from each of the four Project reservoirs are scheduled to meet contractual obligation's to power customers, provided such daily releases are sufficient to ensure minimum flows for recreation and fish and wildlife. Since the primary purpose of the Project is to allow the Upper Basin States to develop water entitled to them under the Compact, the authorization and operation of Project reservoirs to satisfy Upper and Lower Basin demands is also closely linked to laws and compacts on the Colorado River. This group of documents, collectively known as the "Law of the River", includes the Colorado River Compact (1922), the Boulder Canyon Project Act (1928), the Mexican Water Treaty (1944), the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact (1948), the Colorado River Storage Project Act (1956), the Colorado River Basin Project Act (1968), and the Criteria for the Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs (1969) (Operating Criteria). Each of these documents addresses the apportionment and use of Colorado River water, a scarce commodity in the arid West. Currently, Flaming Gorge and the Aspinall Unit are maintained as full as possible to ensure that compact requirements can be met in the event of drought conditions. Within this constraint, Flaming Gorge is primarily operated for power. The Aspinall Unit is operated for power but there are also downstream demands for agricultural water and instream flows to serve municipal and recreational needs. 3