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<br />. <br /> <br />,0 <br /> <br />2.3.3 upper Basin Reservoir Operations <br /> <br />The Upper Basin reservoirs consist of Fontenelle, <br />Flaming Gorge, Blue Mesa, Morrow point, Crystal, Navajo, and <br />Lake Powell and provide over 26 million acre-feet of active <br />storage. This storage is intended for project purposes as <br />well as Colorado River Compact (Compact) obligation <br />deliveries to the Lower Basin. "The Law of the River" <br />clearly specifies that conservation storage and Compact <br />deliveries take precedence over the other uses of project <br />water which are classified as incidental. <br /> <br />The primary constraints on Upper Basin operation are <br />contained in the Operating Criteria, which dictate that if <br />Lake powell storage is currently above that storage required <br />by Section 602(a) of the Colorado River Basin project Act <br />(Public Law 90-537), releases greater than 8.23 maf per year <br />shall be made from Lake Powell to accomplish any or all of <br />the following objectives: <br /> <br />I. Reasonable use in the Lower Basin, providing Lake <br />Powell storage is not less than Lake Mead storage, <br /> <br />2. Maintain equality between Lake Powell storage and <br />Lake Mead storage, <br /> <br />3. Avoid anticipated spills from Lake Powell. <br /> <br />If Lake powell storage is below the 602(a) storage <br />value, then the annual Lake Powell release is limited to the <br />minimum release of 8.23 maf. The quantity of 602(a) storage <br />is determined by the Secretary after consideration of all <br />applicable laws and relevant factors as prescribed in the <br />Operating Criteria. <br /> <br />In addition to the Operating Criteria constraints, the <br />Bureau has agreed with the Upper Basin states to target Lake <br />powell storage on January I of each year at 22.6 maL with <br />these considerations in mind, Lake Powell is annually <br />operated to gain the most benefits from the available water. <br />This broad statement is accomplished by accepting these <br />constraints as inviolate and then tailoring the monthly <br />releases to accommodate such uses as power generation, <br />recreation, and fish and wildlife. <br /> <br />The forecasted runoff is most often the driving force <br />behind Lake Powell operations. While the Bureau uses the <br />most probable water supply forecast in its operational <br />studies to determine the monthly releases from Lake powell, <br />it also uses the probable maximum and probable minimum <br />forecasts to evaluate the capability to react to future <br />changes in forecasted runoff. This procedure is used to <br /> <br />-12- <br />