WSP01196

• File Number: 8282.600.40
• Description: Colorado River Annual Operations Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/1/1997
• Author: USDOI/BOR
• Title: Colorado River Reservoir Operation Status Reports Part 1
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Data

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Group meeting was held January 9 in Heber, UT. The next Working
Group meeting is scheduled for April 10 at 11 am in Vernal, UT.
For more information on the Working Group, contact Ed Vidmar at
801-379-1000.

ASPINALL - February unregulated inflow into Blue Mesa was 23,400
acre-feet or about 106 percent of average. The reservoir inflow is
currently at 425 cfs. Blue Mesa Reservoir's present storage is
455,500 acre-feet which corresponds to a water surface elevation of
7472.89 feet.

Releases from Crystal Dam are currently at 2,000 cfs. Bypass
releases at Crystal began on March 5 and will continue through the
Spring runoff. Bypass releases will increase 200 cfs per day until
March 15 when the maximum bypass is reached. Total Crystal
releases will then be at 3,800 cfs and will remain at that level
for the rest of the month and into April. In anticipation of the
high spring runoff, these release operations will help build
additional storage space needed in Blue Mesa Reservoir.

The current snowpack conditions in the Gunnison River Basin are
measuring about 152 percent of normal. The river runoff is
forecasted to be about 150 percent of normal for the April through
July period. It should be noted that these operational plans will
change over the course of the next few months with relationship to
the winter storm season.

The "Aspinall Unit Working Group" held its work group meeting on
January 13 and 14 in Grand Junction, Colorado. These meetings are
open forum discussions on the Aspinall Unit operations with many
interested groups participating. The next operation meeting will
be held on April 16, 1997 in Grand Junction. Anyone needing
further information about this meeting should contact Ed Warner in
the Grand Junction Area Office at [phone].

NAVAJO - February unregulated inflow into Navajo Reservoir was
about 28,000 acre-feet or approximately 96 percent of average. The
current reservoir inflow is about 500 cfs and the water surface
elevation is at 6047.86 feet.

The snowpack conditions are still above average for water year
1997. As of March 6, the mountain snowpack above Navajo Reservoir
is at 151 percent of normal for the San Juan River Basin and 141
percent of normal for the Animas River Basin. The current April
through July runoff forecast for the San Juan River Basin above