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I, 1,1 I .. " .' , RUED! DAM AND RESERVOIR, COLO. 29 HYDROLOGY lntrodu,cti<;n In terms of water supply and storage enpacity, Ruedi Dum and Reservoir will be more than a substitute for Aspen Dam and Reser- voir. The water supply and storage space in Ruedi which is not required for replacement purposes can serve beneficial uses on the weste.rn slope in Colorado. The reservoir also would pronde uses and benefits for such associated f,mctions as flood control, fish and wildlife conservat.ion, and recreation. In view of the vast oil shale reserves in west..rn Colorado, the e.xt.ensi\"e investments made in experiment.ation and acquisition of, shale lands, and the imminence of commercial oil shale development, the tentati,'e plan of oper<Ltion <Ldopted for <Lnulysis in this report is based on use of "<Lter for municipal and industrial purposes. lV Ilter 8u,pply No historical streamflow records of the Fryingpan River are ~vnil- able. at the Ruedi Dam site. However, riverfJow records tlre tlvmJable at the former Thomasville gaging station ahout 6 miles upstream from the damsite, for a 10-year period-1911 to 1920. The Thomasville gnging st.atjon eommanded fL drainage area. of 175 squa.re miles us contrasted with a. 228-square-mile area. above the Ruedi Dam site. During presious investig[\tions in l'ecent years the undepleted flow of tIle Fryingpan River at the Ruedi Dam site was computed for a 34-year period-lDll to 1944. In t.his computation the Ruedi flows were est.imated by drainage area relationship and correlation ~ith re.corded flows at Thomasville and with records on the Hoaring Fork R.iver at Glenwood Springs. Strea.mflow records also are available for the Fryingpan River at Norrie and on the North Fork of the Fryingpan nea.r Norrie from 1V47 to the present time. Norrie, Colo., is sit.uated about 10 miles upst.ream from t.he Ruedi D.am site and commflnns n. drainage nrea of 131 squa.re miles. Riverflows at Ruedi were estima.ted by correlation. with NOITie records for the period 1945 to 1957. Combining the estimates for the overall period-1911 to 1\l57- annual undepleted streamflows at Ruedi averaged 195,VOO acre-feet, ranging from a low of 86,700 acre-feet in 1934 to a high of 341,200' acre-feet in 1957. Depletio'll^" Except for negligible irrigation use of wa.ter on t.he western slope for wh.'ch da.ta. are not available, the major depletions to the Frying- pan R,ver above Ruedi will result from the existing Husk-Ivanhoe diversions to the eastern slope and from the potentia.l Frvingpan- Arkansas project diversions. Combined, these diversions areel<pected to average 74,100 a.cre-feet annually for the 1Vll-57 period of study.