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<br />Upper Basin Reservoirs
<br />
<br />Fontenelle
<br />
<br />To conserve water to meet municipal and indus.
<br />trial contractual obligations, provide for tailwater
<br />fishery and wildlife requirements, and for electric
<br />power generation, releases will be maintained at
<br />600 fl'/s until forecasts based on accumulated
<br />precipitation and snowpack provide reasonable as-
<br />surance of normal or above normal runoff for wa-
<br />ter year 1978. Then the reservoir water level will
<br />be lowered until a water surface elevation of about
<br />6,480 feet is reached prior to the spring runoff.
<br />With average runoff during the spring months, Fon-
<br />tenelle Reservoir will fill by the end of June. After
<br />the spring runoff, the reservoir level will be con.
<br />trolled by adjusting the releases through the pow-
<br />erplant to slowly reduce the elevation to 6,504 feet
<br />by the end of the summer of 1978, (Chart 1.)
<br />
<br />Flaming Gorge
<br />
<br />At the beginning of water year 1978, the active
<br />storage in Flaming Gorge Reservoir was 2,080,000
<br />acre-feet, with a water surface at elevation 5,991
<br />feet. The reservoir level will stay about level until
<br />the spring of 1978, and should remain high enough
<br />so boats can be launched from seven of the nine
<br />boat ramps, Average inflow would cause the reser-
<br />voir to reach elevation 6,007 feet with an active
<br />storage of 2,556,000 acre.feet during July. Sum-
<br />mertime flow in the river below the dam should not
<br />exceed 4,500 fl'/s and would not be less than 800
<br />ft'/s. Releases should average about 90,000 acre.
<br />feet per month through September 1978 for a wa-
<br />ter year total of about 1,070,000 acre.feet. (Chart
<br />2,)
<br />
<br />Curecanti Unit
<br />
<br />During the current year, the water level in Blue
<br />Mesa Reservoir should reach a low in March 1978
<br />at elevation 7,418 feet and the active storage
<br />would be 162,000 acre.feet. With average inflow
<br />during the spring of 1978, the reservoir should
<br />reach elevation 7,508 feet with an active storage of
<br />732,000 acre.feet, At that elevation the: reservoir
<br />has a surface area of 8,583 acres and a reservoir
<br />;
<br />length of 23 miles, (Charts 3,4, and 5:)
<br />
<br />Morrow Point Reservoir will be operated during the
<br />current year at or near its total storage capacity.
<br />
<br />U.S. COVERNMEN'T PEl!NTING OF'FlCE: 1978 o. 2~2-0~5
<br />
<br />Crystal Reservoir will be operated nearly full ex-
<br />cept for daily fluctuations as required to reregu-
<br />late releases from Morrow Point to meet the diver-
<br />sion requirements of the Gunnison Tunnel as well
<br />as requirements downstream from the Gunnison
<br />Tunnel.
<br />
<br />Navajo Reservoir
<br />
<br />On September 30, 1977, Navajo Reservoir had an
<br />active storage of 1,038,000 acre-feet with water
<br />surface elevation at 6,033 feet. During October
<br />through February releases will be maintained at
<br />530 ft'!s to conserve storage in the reservoir. The
<br />elevation of the reservoir is expected to drop to
<br />6,030 feet prior to spring runoff, At elevation 6,030
<br />feet, Navajo Reservoir will leave about 320,000
<br />acre-feet of active storage to assure the full water
<br />supply to the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, Av-
<br />erage inflow would cause the reservoir to reach
<br />eievation 6,057 feet, with an active storage of
<br />1,305,000 acre-feet by July 1978. The reservoir
<br />will be maintained at or near this level throughout
<br />the remainder of the summer to enhance recrea-
<br />tion use, (Chart 6.)
<br />
<br />Glen Canyon-Lake Powell
<br />
<br />For the current year, the level of lake Powell should
<br />drop about 11 feet during the fall and winter
<br />months to elevation 3,626 feet. The active storage
<br />would be 14,9 million acre.feet in February 1978.
<br />Assuming an average April.July 1978 runoff, the
<br />resulting inflow of about 8.0 million acre-feet
<br />should cause the lake to reach 3,651 feet elevation
<br />during June, with an active storage of 17.9 million
<br />acre. feet, or approximately 72 percent of the ac-
<br />tive capacity of the reservoir. The lake would have
<br />a length of 183 miles and a water surface area of
<br />128,480 acres. Assuming average conditions dur-
<br />ing water year 1978, a total release of 8,2 million
<br />acre.feet is scheduled from lake Powell to satisfy
<br />storage requirements for lake Mead and lake
<br />Powell, in compliance with section 602 of Public
<br />law 90-537, The scheduled release will pass
<br />through" the turbines to generate power for custom.
<br />ers in the Colorado River Basin States, (Chart 7,)
<br />
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