Annual Operating Plan For Colorado River Reservoirs 2004

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h u 1 I f] 1 January 7, 2004 26 2004 DETERMINATIONS The AOP provides guidance regarding reservoir storage and release conditions during the upcoming year, based upon congressionally mandated and authorized storage, release, and delivery criteria and determinations. After meeting these requirements, specific reservoir releases may be modified within these requirements as forecasted inflows change in response to climatic variability and to provide additional benefits coincident to the projects' multiple purposes. Upper Basin Reservoirs The minimum objective release criterion will control the annual release from Glen Canyon Dam during water year 2004 in accordance with Article II(2) of the Operatic Criteria unless spi11 avoidance an or the storage eiii] a ization criteria in Article II(3) is controlling Under the most probable inflow scenario, Glen Canyon Dam will release the minimum objective of 8.23 maf (10,150 mcm). The Operating Criteria provide that the annual plan of operation shall include a determination of the quantity of water considered necessary to be in Upper Basin storage at the end of the water year. Section 602(a)(3) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act provides for the storage of Colorado River water in Upper Basin reservoirs that the Secretary finds necessary to assure deliveries to comply with Articles III(c) and III(d) of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, without impairment to the annual consumptive use in the Upper Basin. Pursuant to Section 602(b), as amended, the Secretary is required to make this determination after consultation with the Upper Colorado River Commission and representatives from the three Lower Division States, and after taking into consideration all relevant factors including historic stream flows, the most critical period of record, the probabilities of water supply, and estimated future depletions. Water not required to be so stored will be released from Lake Powell • to the extent it can be reasonably applied in the States of the Lower Division to the uses specified in Article III(e) of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, but these releases will not be made when the active storage in Lake Powell is less than the active storage in Lake Mead, • to maintain, as nearly as practicable, active storage in Lake Mead equal to the active storage in Lake Powell, and • to avoid anticipated spills from Lake Powell. Taking into consideration all relevant factors required by the Operating Criteria, it is determined that the active storage in Upper Basin reservoirs forecast for September 30, 2004, under the most probable inflow scenario, exceeds the storage required under Section 602(a) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act. Under the minimum probable inflow scenario, active storage in Upper Basin reservoirs on September 30, 2004, would not exceed the storage required under section 602(a) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act. However, active storage in Lake Powell is likely to be lower than that of Lake Mead on September 30, 2004, and the minimum objective release of 8.23 maf (10,150