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<br />.... (4 (' W.~ <br />~.):..' <br /> <br />Pueblo Dam and Reservoir are located on the Arkansas River 6 miles west of the city of <br />Pueblo, Colorado. The reservoir has a total storage capacity of 349,940 acre-feet at a <br />water surface elevation of 4898.7 feet. The upper 26,991 acre-feet of storage space are <br />reserved for flood control at all times, and an additional 66,000 acre-feet are reserved <br />from April 15 through November 1. Pueblo Reservoir is the principal storage vessel of <br />the Project and can store over three years of average Project importS. Non-Project water <br />may be stored in the reservoir under temporary contract. Native inflow can be stored <br />when the Project storage right is in priority or under the Winter Water Storage Program. <br />Arkansas River irrigators are permitted to store native water in pueblo Reservoir during <br />the winter months under the Winter Water Storage Program, on the condition that the <br />water is used before May 1 of the next water year. The majority of Project water <br />deliveries is made from the reservoir. The Fountain Valley Authority can take direct <br />deli'Jery of municipal water from the reservoir through the Fountain Valley Conduit, and <br />the Pueblo West Metropolitan District through the Pueblo West Pipeline. A direct <br />irrigation delivery is made to the Bessemer Ditch. Other Project deliveries are made as <br />releases to the Arkansas River for diversion downstream. Pueblo Reser'Joir is also <br />operated to provide for recreation and wildlife habitat. <br /> <br />III. HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS AND MAJOR WEATHER EVENTS - WATER <br />YEAR 2001 <br /> <br />Precipitation over the Eastern Slope reservoirs of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project was <br />above average for water year 2001. PreCipitation over the reservoirs in the Upper <br />Arkansas River basin, Twin Lakes and Turquoise Reservoir, was generally below average <br />througt, February. However, well-above average precipitation fell during the spring <br />months of March, April, and May, bringing the total precipitation for the year to near <br />average. Heavy precipitation also occurred during the months of July and August in the <br />upper basin, resulting in water year precipitation totals of 104 and 123 percent of <br />average above Turquoise Reservoir and Twin Lakes, respectively. Monthly precipitation <br />at Pueblo Reseflloir 'Jaried widely during water year 2001, with a low of 32 percent of <br />average in November and a high of 352 percent of average during January. While the <br />monthly precipitation totals varied widely, the cumulative precipitation total remained at <br />or above average for the entire year, finishing at 110 percent of average. <br /> <br />The below average precipitation over the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project during the fall and <br />winter months resulted in inflows to Turquoise Reservoir, Twin Lakes, and Pueblo <br />Reservoir being well below average through April. The above-average spring preCipitation <br />over the Project, warm temperatures, and the early runoff of that precipitation resulted in <br />reservoir inflows being well above average during May. After May, reservoir inflows fell <br />to below normal for the remainder of the water year, <br /> <br />Precipitation over the watershed above Ruedi Reservoirwas well below average during the <br />fall and winter of water year 2001, with the total October through March precipitation <br />being only 62 percent of average for the period. This lack of precipitation resulted in a <br /> <br />3 <br />