Fryingpan-Arkansas Project Water Year 2005 Summary of Actual Operations

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ANNUAL OPERATING PLAN FRYINGPAN- ARKANSAS PROJECT WATER YEAR 2005 OPERATIONS GENERAL This is the 36th annual operating plan for the Fryingpan- Arkansas Project. The project, completed in 1990, imports spring snowmelt runoff from Colorado's west slope to the semi -arid Arkansas River basin on Colorado's east slope. The project consists of federally owned dams, reservoirs, stream diversion structures, conduits, tunnels, pumping plants, a pumped- storage powerplant, electric transmission lines, substations, and recreation facilities. These features are located in the Fryingpan River and Hunter Creek watersheds of the upper Colorado River basin, and in the Arkansas River basin in central and southeastern Colorado. The project provides water for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power generation, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The project also provides for flood control. The project was authorized under Public Law 87 -590 on August 16, 1962. This law provides that the project will be operated under the operating principles adopted by the State of Colorado on April 30, 1959, as amended on December 30, 1959, and on December 9, 1960. These operating principles were published as House Document 130 (87th Congress, 1 st Session), and are included in Appendix E. This annual operating plan is a summary of the actual project operation in water year 2005 (October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005). II. PROJECT FEATURES IN OPERATION DURING WATER YEAR 2005 Ruedi Dam and Reservoir are located on the Fryingpan River, a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, on Colorado's west slope about 13 miles east of Basalt, Colorado. Ruedi Reservoir has a total capacity of 102,373 acre -feet at a water surface elevation of 7766.0 feet. The reservoir is operated on an annual cycle. Steady winter releases draft the reservoir such that it is filled with the spring snowmelt runoff, while releases to the Fryingpan River are maintained below the safe channel capacity. The reservoir provides replacement water for out -of- priority depletions to the Colorado River by the project as well as water for west slope irrigation, municipal, and industrial uses on a contractual basis. The reservoir is also operated to provide for recreation, wildlife habitat, and flood control. The west slope collection system, located upstream of Ruedi Reservoir in the upper Fryingpan River and Hunter Creek watersheds, is a series of 16 stream diversion structures and 8 tunnels. The system collects spring snowmelt runoff 1