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<br />, <br />\. <br />,v <br />, <br />",~ <br />( <br /> <br />DRAFT <br /> <br /> <br />Executive Summary <br /> <br />During the spring and summer of 1983 the operational procedures <br /> <br />reservoi rs on the Colorado Ri ver were tested by an unusual and <br /> <br />unpredicta~le sequence of hydrologic events. Although the reservoirs <br /> <br />-<. <br /> <br />were operated in complete accordance with the "Law of the River,. major <br /> <br />flooding was experienced downstream of Lake Mead and suggestions for <br /> <br />... <br /> <br />reassessment of reservoir operation procedures were made by various <br /> <br />Federal, state, and local agencies. In response to these suggestions, <br /> <br />T <br /> <br />the acting commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation authorized an eval- <br /> <br />uation of operation strategies for the Colorado River. <br /> <br />The CRSS (Colorado River Simulation System) modeling package was used to <br /> <br />" <br />t!~ <br />:0: <br /> <br />examine five possible strategies for operating the Colorado River reser- <br /> <br />''I <br />, <br />i <br /> <br />::1: <br />,'I <br />',t <br /> <br />'!~I <br />"-jl <br /> <br />iJ <br /><" <br />" <br />f~ <br /> <br />voirs (particularly Lakes Mead and Powell). These strategies included a <br /> <br />"base case" strategy which schedules no surplus releases (those releases <br /> <br />in excess of minimum downstream demands) and a set of four represent- <br /> <br />ative alternative strategies which reflect the ability to accommodate <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />varying levels of natural inflow without making unscheduled surplus <br /> <br />releases. ,The alternative strategies determine scheduled surplus <br /> <br />releases to be made from Lakes Mead and Powell based on reservoir con- <br /> <br /> <br />,. <br />tents at the beginning of the water year, desired (or target) contents <br />at the end of the water year, natural flow at Lees Ferry, depletions in <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />the upper and lower basin, reservoir evaporation, storage requirements <br /> <br />, <br />, <br />r <br /> <br />dictated by section 602(a) of Public Law 90-537, and minimum release <br /> <br />requirements. <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />',' <br />1: <br />