Aspinall Project Notices
Project Notices
BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
ASPINALL UNIT RELEASES
April 23, 2018
Releases from the Aspinall Unit will be increased by 150 cfs on Monday, April 23rd. Releases are being increased with the intent of returning flows in the lower Gunnison River to the baseflow target level. The latest runoff volume forecast for Blue Mesa Reservoir projects 360,000 AF of inflow between April and July, which is 53% of average.
Flows in the lower Gunnison River are currently below the baseflow target of 890 cfs. River flows have been below the baseflow target for over a week and are not expected to reach the baseflow target level within the next week without an increase in flows below Crystal Dam.
Pursuant to the Aspinall Unit Operations Record of Decision (ROD), the baseflow target in the lower Gunnison River, as measured at the Whitewater gage, is 890 cfs for April and May.
Currently, diversions into the Gunnison Tunnel are 1000 cfs and flows in the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon are around 450 cfs. After this release change Gunnison Tunnel diversions will still be 1000 cfs and flows in the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon will be around 600 cfs. Current flow information is obtained from provisional data that may undergo revision subsequent to review.
This scheduled release change is subject to changes in river flows and weather conditions. For questions or concerns regarding these operations contact Erik Knight at (970) 248-0629 or e-mail at eknight@usbr.gov
Contact
Please contact the Operations Group via e-mail at ResourceMgr@usbr.gov for additional information.
Last Updated: 4/23/18
