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c-' I HIGHLIGHTS OF 1974 OPERATION Total Western Division System carryover storage at the beginning of Water Year 1974 was record high. Carryover storage in the North Platte River System was record high and 40,000 acre-feet grester than the previous record established in 1971. Initial water year storage in the Colorado-Big Thompson System was the greatest of record. Winter precipitation was above no~l for all watersheds except the G1endo watershed in Wyoming. Above normal snowpacks were recorded on February 1. Above normal February I water supply forecasts indicated 600,000 acre-feet of surplus water for the North Platte River System. ~. . I A North Platte Coordination Meeting was held at Gering, Nebraska, on February 25 with the irrigation districts to plan early release of forecasted surplus North Platte River water. The North Platte and Kendrick Project irrigation districts volunteered release of 400,000 acre-feet of owned storage water to provide flood protection for others along the North Platte River. On February 26, release of storage ownership water from Guernsey Reservoir at a rate of 500 cfs was initiated. The release was stepped up to a maximum of 4,000 cfs during March. Excellent early season water supplY forecasts, combined with success- ful cooperative meetings between North Platte River water interests, permitted planned early evacuation of more than 500,000 acre-feet of surplus river water at non-damaging rates of flow through Wyoming and Nebraska. All North Platte River storage water ownerships refilled during June. In addition, 86,000 acre-feet of owed-to-the-river water was released from Guernsey Reservoir. Snowmelt runoff during the April-July period was above normal at all major system reservoirs except G1endo Reservoir in Wyoming which was below normal. ~ 5