News Release Archive

Reclamation to Discuss Plans for Flaming Gorge Dam Spring Operations

Media Contact: Ed Vidmar, (801) 379-1182, evidmar@uc.usbr.gov

For Release: April 07, 2006

Following the recent signing of the Flaming Gorge Dam EIS Record of Decision in February 2006, Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region announced today that it has begun the planning process for this springs operations at Flaming Gorge Dam under the new set of flow and temperature recommendations analyzed in the EIS. The new recommendations are designed to create more favorable conditions for four endangered fish species in the Green River, without unduly affecting dam or reservoir operations.

A technical working group has been meeting to propose a flow target to Reclamation, which would guide the timing and pattern of releases from Flaming Gorge Dam. The technical working group's proposal will be shared and discussed with the interested public at the Flaming Gorge Working Group meeting at Western Park in Vernal on Thursday, April 13, 2006, beginning at 10:00 a.m. These meetings are held twice a year and typically end at noon, but an afternoon session will begin at 1:00 p.m. if necessary, in order to ensure that everyone who so wishes has the chance to present information.

When planning spring operations at Flaming Gorge Dam, Reclamation's first priority is dam safety, and so the releases from the dam are considered in relation to inflows to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Then, the recommended flow targets are weighed against operational constraints, authorized purposes of the dam, and other resource concerns expressed by the interested public at the Flaming Gorge Working Group meeting. After the Working Group meeting, Reclamation will consider all of the input received and make a final decision.

Once the final target for flows at the Jensen gauge has been established, Reclamation's dam operators will carefully monitor Yampa River flows in order to assure that releases from Flaming Gorge Dam are sufficient to meet the target. If Yampa River flows are higher than anticipated, Reclamation would generally operate Flaming Gorge Dam at power plant capacity, or 4,600 cubic feet per second (cfs). If Yampa River flows turn out to be lower than forecast, releases at Flaming Gorge Dam might be increased to as much as 8,600 cfs. using the bypass tubes. During the spring peak runoff season, the Yampa River dominates the flow patterns at and below the Jensen gauge. Green River flows below Flaming Gorge Dam typically account for about 25 percent of the flows at the Jensen gauge during runoff.

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