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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />USFWS - Palisade/Grand Junction Stream Flow Analyses - DRAFT <br />May 12, 1995 <br />'Page 26 <br /> <br />can be ~liverted for hydropower purposes which means all releases can potentially be <br />diverted at the roller dam. To determine if the releases actually get into the critical reach <br />to supplement the flow further investigation beyond the scope of this study is needed. <br />Such a study would require additional information such as the water rights that were in <br />priority, the amount hydropower returns, and the amount of water being checked. <br /> <br />X CONCLUSIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS <br /> <br />The short term nature of the 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 collection of stream gaging <br />information near Palisade and Grand Junction makes it difficult to draw conclusions about <br />local.inflow that may occur in other years. At this time we draw the following <br />conclusions: <br /> <br />,1. Local inflow to the critical reach is on the order of 150 to 300 cfs during the <br />period of August through October. <br />2. Local inflows appear to drop off after the irrigation season to about 100 cfs, but <br />interpretation is made difficult due to icing problems in December. <br /> <br />3. Local inflows appear to largely be a function of irrigation returns and to a lessor <br />degree local precipitation. <br /> <br />4. Factors affecting the calculation of local return flows are numerous and include: <br />gaging inaccuracies, ojleration of upstream irrigation and power diversions, <br />precipiqnion, and icing problems. <br /> <br />The past 4 years of data have provided sufficient data to generally characterize the local <br />inflows to the critical reach. Additional years of data will strengthen general conclusions <br />drawn, support CWCB instream flow filing, and provide a sufficient data base for <br />statistical analyses. If such a data base is needed, we recommend the following activities <br />be continued: <br /> <br />1. Measurements of flow for determine rating curve at 27.5 Road Gage each year <br />because of the variability found in past years. <br /> <br />2. Investigate further the adjustments being made to the Palisade gage provisional <br />satellite data by the USGS. <br />