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<br />1997. In the years 1993-1997, the costs shall be nonreimbursable only to the extent that the
<br />effect of all provisions of the GCP A is to increase offsetting receipts. The Commissioner of
<br />Reclam~,tion has submitted to the Congress repons on the results of the net operating receipts
<br />computations for fiscal years 1993, 1994, and 1995.
<br />
<br />Section 1809 of the GCPA requires the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the
<br />Secretary of the Interior and stakeholder representatives, to identify economically and
<br />technically feasible methods of replacing any power generation that is lost through adoption
<br />oflong-term operating criteria for the operation of Glen Canyon Dam. The Western Area
<br />Power Administration has completed a draft report and expects to meet the two-year deadline
<br />cited in the GCP A.
<br />
<br />GLEN CANYON DAM OPERATIONS - WATER YEAR 1997
<br />
<br />Glen Canyon Dam was operated in 1997 in compliance with the ROD, operating criteria, and
<br />the 1997 Annual Plan of Operations. Total unregulated inflow to Lake Powell during 1997
<br />was about 144 percent of normal, which resulted in an annual release of 13.8 million acre-
<br />feet (mat). Monthly releases ranged from 623,000 acre-feet (at) in November to 1,537,000 af
<br />in March. Many of these monthly releases were made as nearly constant high flows, at times
<br />reaching about 27,000 cfs in both March and June. A table of monthly release volumes and
<br />the associated power generation is shown in Appendix E.
<br />
<br />The 1997 spring runoff forecast oscillated up and down during the late winter months as a
<br />result of varying month-to-month precipitation. The largest change occurred in early
<br />February, when the forecast increased to 171 percent of normal. This prompted an increase
<br />in releases up to the 27,000 cfs level in an effort to avoid an unplanned spill in the spring.
<br />Releases were generally above 20,000 cfs from February through September. The maximum
<br />reservoir elevation during the year was 3,695.1 during July, approximately 5 feet from full.
<br />Both high inflows and releases characterized the summer of 1997 as above normal
<br />precipitation fell across much of the Colorado River Basin. Since the end-of-water-year
<br />elevation in Lake Mead was higher than the elevation in Lake Powell, equalization provisions
<br />of the 1968 Colorado River Basin Project Act were not applicable in water year 1997.
<br />
<br />GLEN CANYON DAM OPERATIONS - WATER YEAR 1998
<br />
<br />The Secretary intends to operate Glen Canyon Dam in accordance with the 1998 Annual Plan
<br />of Operations (see Appendix C). The most significant event to occur thus far in water year
<br />1998 was the November 1997 test flow. Fall 1997 inflows to Lake Powell were above
<br />normal as the result of high precipitation throughout much of the Colorado River Basin.
<br />Possibly an effect of the strong El Nii'io anomaly, the precipitation created several short
<br />duration flood events on the Paria River, a tributary to the Colorado River just downstream
<br />
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