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. . . CHAPTER III INITIAL DEVELOPMENT have occurred in 15 of the 40 years. The advance releases for energy pro- duction would have ayeraged 209,000 acre-feet annually for the 40-year period. Project water shortages of significance would haye occurred in only the extremely dry year of 1934 with the shortage in that year total- ing 84.000 acre-feet for irrigation and stream fishery releases. The irrigation shortage in this one year would have been about 50 percent with the remaining shortage being taken in the stream fishery release. The reservoir would have been drawn down to the inactive storage level in only one year Which would have been at the end of the drawdown season following the extreme drought year 1934, In actual project operation priority of water use would be given to irrigation over power in accordance with the Colorado River Storage Project Act. The average energy production for the 40-year period of study is esti- mated at approximately 148,000,000 kilowatt-hours annually. Of this amount, about 114,000.000 kilowatt-hours would be the normal or firm annual energy production and 34,000,000 kilowatt-hours would be the additional average annual seasonal energy production from advance power water releases made in anticipation of spillso Stream depletions The net depletion of the Colorado River under the initial development is estimated at an average of 48,500 acre-feet annually. Of this amount, approximately 14,500 acre-feet would result from consumptive use on proj- ect irrigated lands, 30,000 acre-feet from increased evaporation in the reservoir area, and 4,000 acre-feet from other uses including unavoidable consumptive use along project canals and on areas adjacent to the canals and irrigated lands. Inasmuch as the entire initial development would be in the State of COlorado, the total net average annual depletion would be assigned to Colorado as a portion of the water of the Upper Colorado River Basin allotted to the State under terms of the Upper Colorado River Compact. Agricultural Economy Estimates of agricultural conditions, irrigation payment capacity, and irrigation benefits for each acre of land served are all the same for the initial stage of development as for the large irrigation plan discussed in Chapter II. Power Economy and Development In the initial stage as in the comprehensive development, the Juniper powerplant would be interconnected with and become an integrated part of the Colorado River Storage project system now under construction, 67