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1562 acre feer (3) Twin Lakes Dam and Twin Lakes at the east end of Independence P..s, with a capacity of 140.855 feer (an enlargement of a natutallake) (4) Pueblo Dam and Reservoir, just west of the City of Pueblo. with a capacity of 357.000 acre feet. In addition, between 1965 and 1981. Reelamacion constructed and enlarged the west slope collection system which conveys water to these reservoirs through the Charles H. Boustead TunneL The annual amount of water imported to the basin each year has averaged 69.200 acre-feet. The operating objectives of rhe Fryingpan- Arkansas Projecr are: . maximize the storage of Project water from both wesr slope and east slope . fill Turquoise and Twin Lakes each year during me summer , keep Turquoise and Twin Lakes full during the summer and early fall ro provide recreational opportunities (this objective has been added since the Project was originally authorized by legislarion) . minimize the loss of Project water to evapocJ.L1on . maximize generation at the Nfe. Elbert Power Plant . fulftll conrractual oblig,uions for providing storage space and conveyance facilities . deliver warer at the rime and place of needs ro customer of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservation Oiscricr In general. this means that the upper reservoirs, Turquoise Lake and Twin Lakes, are lowered prior to runoff in May to accommodate the predicted water availability from the east slope and west slope diversions. Since 1990. Reclamation has attempted to accomplish the lowering of upper reservoirs by April, ro fulfill flow recommenda- tions from rhe Colorado Department of Natutal Resources. Twin Lakes and Turquoise Reservoir are typically filled by mid-July. From mid-July thtough September. rele..es from these reservoirs are roughly equivalent to inflow of native (non- imported) water. Since 1990, Reclamation's prac- tice h.. been to gradually deliver water from the upper .eservoirs ro Pueblo Reservoir between Octoe:r and March. This water will then be delivered to Southe..tern customers upon demand. Whenever possible. Reclamation man- ages its rdeases from upper basin reservoirs in accordance with recommendations from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources that are designed to enhance the flow regime of the river to benefit riverine habitat and recreation. This practice has been implemented since 1990 with the support of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. The consrruction of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project allowed Reclamation to sign storage con- tractS with parties who had a need to store the yield of previously established water rights. These contractS include: Typically Stored in Turquoise Reservoir 17,416 Acre Feet - City of Colorado Springs 5.000 Acre Feet - City of :,urora (original shares of Busk-lvanhoe, Inc.) 5,000 Acre Feet - Pueblo Board of Water Works (original shares of Busk-Ivanhoe, Inc.) 30,000 Acre Feet - City of Colorado Springs and City of Aurora Tvpically Stored In Twin Lakes 54,452 Acre Feet - Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company Frequently, these storage contracts. as well as oth- ers signed on a short-rerm basis. are employed bv water users to execute exchanges. These exchanges allow water from lower Arkansas Valley locations and other upper basin locations to be moved to Turquoise Reservoir and Twin Lakes. Moving Water to this location allows easy delivery 'CO municipal supply systems via rhe Otero Pipeline. Reclamation also stores water for lower basin users at Pueblo Reservoit under a decreed "Winter Warer Storage Program." This program allows some warer rights holders, primarily agri- cultural users who historically used Water during the winter, ro store the yield of those Water rights 9