WSP08168

• File Number: 8282.600.40
• Description: Colorado River Reservoir Operations
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 6/1/1997
• Author: CWCB
• Title: Colorado River Reservoir Operations Status Reports - Part 2B, June and August
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Data

From: Water Resource

Date: August 15. 1997

Group, Salt Laki City
, I I ,
R~ver Annua Operat~ng

RECEIVED
AUG 1 8 1997

To: All Colorado

Plan (AOP)

Colorado Wator
Conservation Board
Recipients

Current Status
July Midnight Reservoir
inflow (unreg) Percent August 14 Storage
(acre- feet) of normal Elevation (acre- feet)
Fontenelle 192,000 89 6,505.15 339,000
Flaming Gorge 211,000 80 6,036.44 3,605,000
Blue Mesa 150,000 116 7,516.80 806,000
Powell 1,532,000 101 3,692.63 23,158,000
Navajo 104,000 125 6,069.85 1,478,000

Expected Operation I

FONTENEt.t.E - Releases from Fontenelle Reservoir are currently at
3000 cfs. Inflows into Fontenelle have recently been as high as
4000 cfs and the elevation is about 6505.2 feet (only 9 inches
from full) . l

Due to [aoove normal precipi~ion activity, inflows have been
above expected-Ievels-for-the~past~three weeks. Because of this,
and the fact that the reservoir is full, releases from the dam
have been increased over the past [week.

By September, however, it is expected that releases will be
reduced to a level near 1200 cfs. I It is likely that releases
will then remain near this level through the fall and winter
period.

Ft.AMING GORGE - Releases from Flaming Gorge are now at 1500 cfs.
A target operation is now in place at Flaming Gorge. The
objective of this target operatiort, is to maintain a 2200 cfs
flow on the Green River near Jensen, Utah. Jensen is below the
confluence of the Green and, Yampa !Rivers. Flaming Gorge releases
will be adjusted so that the flow Ion the Yampa combines to
produce this 2200 cfs target. Thus, as the Yampa River recedes
throughout the late summer and fa]l, releases from Flaming Gorge
shall be moderately increased. I

Over the few days significant precipitation in the Yampa River
Basin has caused flows at Jensen to go above the target level.
Releases will be decreased to 130q cfs on Wed August 6 to adjust
for the increased flows from the Yampa. Flows should fall back
I
to near the target level once a more normal weather pattern
returns. 'I

High inflows into Flaming Gorge for water year 1997 are now over.
Runoff still continues from high elevation snow in the Wind River
Range, but inflows are now at veri manageable levels. The