WSP04999

• File Number: 8054
• Description: Water Salvage
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 6/1/1975
• Author: Utah Water Research
• Title: Water Salvage Potentials in Utah - Volume II - Evaporation Suppression by Reservoir Destratification
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

~~I!' ~ ~ 3

The results of the regression model application
to individual reservoirs are given in Appendix I.
The statewide estimated quantity of water salvage
potential as determined by the seasonal model is
215.400 acre feet. This figure should be reduced by
approximately 44,000 acre feet as shown in Table
5 to estimate net su ppression on a continuous
annual basis. The corrections for other major
reservoirs such as Strawberry would be very minor
compared 10 the three shown in the table.

Table 5. Comparlaon of .esaonal and annual .aI-
. age qnantltle..

Seasonal Annual
Reservoir Suppression Suppression Decrease

Lake Powell 152,264
Flaming Gorge 18,142
Bear Lake 30,264
State Totals 215,400

140,240
17,050
_ 0
171. 800

12,224
1,092
30,264
43,600

A summary of the evaporation and suppres-
sion by major river basins is given in Tables 6
through 15. The evaporation totals given are those
only for the reservoirs included in the suppression
analysis (Appendix 1) and should not be confused
with the more complete basin totals given in
Volume I (which included wetlands and natural
lakes). These tables indicate that the potential for
suppression by Ihermal mixing is as follows:

L Great Salt Lake Desert: No potential (no
deep reservoirs).

2. Bear River Basin: The Bear Lake seasonal
suppression of 30,264 acre feet should be ignored
because the net annual suppression (which is zero)
is the only meaningful value for Bear Lake. The
remaining potential is 402 acre feet. This rather
low potential for the basin occurs because after
eliminating Bear Lake, the two largest remaining
reservoirs (Willard Bay and Cutler) have no
polential because of shallow depth and/or high
flow. The potentials on Porcupine and Hyrum,
however, are 24 and 20 percent respectively and
this represents a very significant amount of water to
owners of those reservoirs.

J. Weber Basin: There are six reservoirs in
this basin which have a significant potential (II to
21 percent) for salvage by thermal mixing. Total
estimated volume for the basin is 2317 acre feet.

4. Jordan River Basin: The major producer
of evaporation in this basin, Utah Lake, has no
potential whatever for the destratification concept
because of its shallow depth. The two reservoirs

which do have a significant potential are Deer
Creek (1261 acre feet> and Mona (404 acre feet).

5. Sevier Basin: This basin incudes only two
reservoirs with enough depth to have significant
potential. these are Sevier Bridge and Piute.
Destratification of these two reservoirs would result
in a 1349 acre feet saving. In this basin, such an
addition to the hydrologic budget would have a very
important impact.

6. Cedar-Beaver Basin: This very dry basin
shows small magnitudes of salvageable water
compared to other basins, but the importance to
these water users could be significant. The basin
summary totals 196 acre feet, 121 of which is on
Minersville Reservoir. Other significant reservoirs
are Enterprise and Red Creek. The Red Creek total
of 8 acre feet represents 12 percent of an expensive
evaporation loss.

7. Uinlah Basin: This basin includes a total
potential salvage of 25,012 acre feet. Of this total,
72 percent occurs on Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
The remaining 6.870 acre feet occur largely on
. three reservoirs. Strawberry (S.299), Starvation
(1,117), and Steinaker (252).

8. West Colorado Basin: This mostly arid
basin actually includes much of the surface area of
Lake Powell. however. in this inventory Powell is
arbitrarily reported as being completely in Basin 9.
The potentia' salvage derives largely from three
reservoirs with 14 to 20 percent suppression
ratings. These are Electric Lake (103 ac ft), MiIlsite
(122 ac ft), and Joes Valley (268 ac ft). The total
salvage estimate for the basin is 1164 acre feet.

9. South and East Colorado: There is only
one reservoir in this very large area which is deep
enough to provide any potential for salvage;
however, this single impoundment, Lake Powell,
dominates the suppression potential for the entire
state. As discussed previously the seasonal evapora-
tion of 152,264 acre feet shown in the basin
summary (Table 14) should be reduced to 140,200
(22.3 percent) for a net annual, multi-year
operation. This represents 81.6 percent of the state
total. The economies of scale in regard to cost of
thermal mixing (to be discussed later) coupled with
huge volume of suppression potential together
make Lake Powell the unquestionable giant in
terms of water salvage potential in Utah.

10. Lower Colorado Basin: This basin
includes two reservoirs which have a significant
potential. Ash Creek Reservoir at 14 percent (77
ac ft) and Gunlock at 17 percent (156 ac ft) may
appear to represent minor quantities of water. but
in this very arid basin, these late season additions
to the water supply could be significant.

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