BOARD01879 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. l ASe.I\c1l!o United States Department of the Interior _BUREAU OF RECLAMATION Upper Colorado Region . . .Ml-Gf,loI~~:~:::::~r{;"e Western Colorado Area Office ,. -\ ~ +~ .." ....::::.. JC::.. ~ ':"1Oi '\-"'~RE.3Qll~ \. ~-.-.... ~/ ~~. L-felt\ L."'.3' Northern Division 2764 Compass Drive PO Box 60340 Grand Iunction CO 81506-8785 JUN I 2 1998 WCS-SMattingly ENV-6.00 RECEIVED JUN 15 1998 Southern Division 835 E 2nd Avenue PO Box 640 Durango CO 81302-0640 Colorado Waw, Co~saMltion Saara Mr. Dan Merriman Colorado Water Conservation Board 1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 Denver CO 80203 Subject: Status of water rights investigations for Paradox Valley Unit as related to the Colorado Water Conservation Board in-stream flow program, Paradox Valley Unit, Colorado River Basin Storage Control Project, Colorado . ~- Dear M1:.-Merriman: The Paradox Valley Unit of the Colorado River Salinity Control Program has a plan of augmentation that is junior to the in-stream flow right that the Colorado Water Conservation Board has on the Dolores River downstream of McPhee Dam. Generally speaking, when the flows in the Dolores River through the Paradox Valley are less than 78 cfs, releases need to be made from McPhee Reservoir to augment the pumping that is occurring at the Paradox Valley Unit. A recent review of our augmentation plan suggests that, based primarily on the method to determine streamflow losses on the Dolores River from McPhee Dam to Paradox Valley, sufficient water may not be available in McPhee Reservoir to augment our pumping throughout a normal operations year. This problem may be even more profound in a drier year. . If the in-stream flow right is administered to the letter of the law, the dilemma we face is the possibility of having to curtail the pumping at the Paradox Valley Unit at times when augmentation water is not available. Operations of the Paradox Valley Unit has a significant effect on improving river water quality, removing 92,000 to 107,000 tons of salt each year under normal, full operations. Reduction of the Paradox Valley Unit operations will have an immediate effect on the water quality, both in the Dolores River and the Colorado River.