BOARD00220

• Board Meeting Date: 9/22/2003
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Coordinated Facilities Operations Study (CFOPS): On July 31 the Upper Colorado River Recovery
Program's Management Committee approved the draft report and study recommendation.

.The recommendation had three parts:

(1) continue to use Coordinated Reservoir Operations as the primary means for augmenting the spring
peak and encourage increased participation;

(2) use storage to add an additional 20,000 AF to the spring peak when the Service deems appropriate
and elects to use existing environmental account water or other sources to provide "insurance"
against any loss of project yield; and,

(3) water users should undertake an independent feasibility study of the Webster Hill Reservoir site
on the Colorado Mainstem to provide the 20,000 acre-feet, otherrecoveryprogram benefits and
other beneficial uses in genera!.

This concludes the Board's leadership in this effort and satisfies one ofthe elements in the IS-mile reach
PBO. Further actions are at the direction of the Management Committee or the water users.

Upper Colorado River Commission: The next meeting of the Commission will be held on October 7-8,
2003 in St. George, Utah. The meeting will include a tour of area water supply facilities and information
about the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. The Washington County Water Conservancy District will host
the Commission meeting.

Gumiison River Basin

Aspinall Unit Operations: The USBR held its late sunnner Aspinall Operations meeting on Aug. 21 to
discuss 2003 operations and conditions. April- July inflow into Blue Mesa Reservoir was approximately
60 percent of average.

.June 30 Blue Mesa live content was 512,000 AF, approximately 72 percent of average and 62 percent of
full (317,500 AF short of full). August I Blue Mesa live content was 421,000 AF, approximately 60
percent of average. This is an improvement from storage conditions in 2002 but reflects lingering drought
effects in the basin.

Flows through the Black Canyon were approximately 250 cfs in April, peaked at 1300 cfs in early June
during a period of rapid snowmelt, and averaged 700 cfs throughout the sunnner to meet demands at
Redlands Diversion Dam and the USFWS fish ladder. Winter flows through the Black Canyon will be
reduced to approximately 300 cfs in October.

Blue Mesa content is expected to peak at approximately 90 percent of full next year with average winter
and spring conditions and normal reservoir operations.

The Curecanti Field Office will dredge material from the confluence of Cimmaron Creek and Crystal
Reservoir's power plant tailrace in September or October. The work will be timed to not coincide with
CDOW fish inventories and water quality will be monitored to minimize turbidity levels downstream.

Crystal Reservoir's power plant will be offline from mid-October 2003 to April 2004. The turbines will
be upgraded and flow testing will occur in March 2004 to assure the turbines are working properly.
Testing involves releases in a range of 0 to 2300 cfs and will cause fluctuations in river flows
downstream. Reclamation will present a plan for the testing at its January operations meeting to address
concerns about the fluctuating flows and their effects on public safety, reservoir storage, timing with
respect to the natural spring peak and trout spawning.

Upper Gunnison Watershed Cloud Seeding Program: A public hearing is set in Gunnison for October
_ fo~ a new cloud seeding program. Linda Bassi and Joe Busto will represent the DNR and CWCB at that
eanng.

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