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<br />OG1G2G <br /> <br />FOREWORD <br /> <br />The Colorado River and its major tributaries originate as snowmelt-fed <br />streams high in the Rocky Mountains. The river drains about <br />242,700 square miles from seven states as it winds its way southward to <br />Mexico and the Gulf of California. The annual natural flow at Lees <br />Ferry, Arizona, has ranged from 5.0 to 23.8 million acre-feet of water <br />wi th a mean of about 15 mi 11 i on acre-feet. Ten major storage dams pro- <br />vide a storage <apacity of approximately 60 million acre-feet. The <br />storage projects serve a number of purposes including flood control, <br />irrigation water supply, municipal and industrial water supply, power <br />generation, water quality improvement, fish and wildlife propagation, <br />and recreation. <br /> <br />The Colorado River is undoubtedly the most legislated and probably the <br />most regulated major river in the world. More than 20 major legal <br />actions, congressional acts, United States Supreme Court decisions, <br />intrabasin compacts, and international treaties together formulate the <br />"Law of the River." The river has an estimated average annual water <br />supply which is less than the amount of water legally apportioned. Due <br />to the many different uses of Colorado River water and the overappor- <br />tioned future water supply, management and development of the Colorado <br />River is a highly complicated and technical task requiring the best <br />available tool. The CRSS (Colorado River Simulation System) is that <br />tool. <br /> <br />. <br />, <br /> <br />I <br />" <br />~ <br />. <br />[ <br /> <br />The System Overview provides an understanding of the functions, capabil- <br />ities, limitations, and underlying assumptions of the CRSS. The System <br />Overview discusses all technical and managerial aspects of the CRSS. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />iv <br />