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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />44 percent of average. Navajo Reservoir reached a peak elevation of 1,85 1.1 meters (6,077.16 <br />feet) on May 30, 2000. <br /> <br />The final repon titled "Flow Recommendations for the San Juan River," which outlines flow <br />recommendations for the San Juan River below Navajo Dam, was completed by the Biology <br />Committee of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRIP) in !\.1ay 1999. <br />The report synthesizes research conducted on endangered fish in the San Juan River over a 7. <br />year period. The purpose of the report is to provide flow recommendations for the San Juan <br />River that promote the recovery of the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker, <br />maintain important habitat for these two species, as well as the other native species, and provide <br />information for the evaluation of continued water development potential in the basin. <br />Reclamation has begun a National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) process on the <br />implementation of an operation at Navajo Dam that meets these flow recommendations or a <br />reasonable alternative to them. A Notice ofIntent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement <br />(EIS) was filed on October I, 1999, in the Federal Register. The draft EIS is scheduled to be <br />published in October 2001. The completion of the final EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) is <br />scheduled to occur in 2002. <br /> <br />During the spring a large release of up to 142 ems (5,000 cfs) was made during May and June to <br />coincide with the peak flows of the Animas River as prescribed by the flow recommendations, <br />After the completion of the large spring releases, releases were gradually reduced to <br />approximately 14 ems (500 cfs) for the remainder of the year, <br /> <br />In water year 200 I, Navajo Reservoir is expected to nearly fill under the probable maximum <br />inflow scenario. The reservoir should fill above 80 percent offull under the most probable and <br />probable minimum scenarios. Releases from the reservoir \l,,'ill be held near 14 ems (500 cfs) <br />through the fall and winter months and large releases will likely be made in !\.1ay and June <br />pursuant to the flow recommendations to improve the habitat and provide better spawning <br />conditions for endangered fish in the San Juan River. <br /> <br />Lake Powell <br /> <br />Lake Powell began water year 2000 nearly full with 28.4 MCM (23 0 MAF) of storage (95 <br />percent of capacity), Only in the high water years of 1983 and 1984 was storage higher in Lake <br />Powell on October I. Because of this high carryover storage and early season forecasted inflow, <br />releases in October, November, and December from Lake Powell were relatively high, <br />approximately 1.2 MCM (1.0 MAF) per month. <br /> <br />Water year 2000, however, turned out to be quite dry in the Colorado River basin. April through <br />July unregulated inflow into lake Powell in v,'ater year 2000 was 5,370 MCM (4.35 MAF), 56 <br />percent of average. Water year 2000 unregulated inflow was 9,020 MCM (7.32 MAF), 62 <br />percent of average. Lake Powell reached a peak elevation of 1, 122.7 meters (3683.4 feet) on <br />June 30, 2000 (16.6 feet from full). <br /> <br />November 16. 2000 <br /> <br />10 <br />