The Bureau of Reclamtion has 5,000 employees who help maintain 475 dams and 337 reservoirs in the 17 Western states. This includes the maintenance of 53 hydroelectric power plants. List of dams in Colorado River Basin. Wikipedia.

See also the following sections:

• Hydropower
• Sediment
• Floods
• Biological Opinions

DAMS AND VALUES

• 2002 - What Goes Up, May Come Down. Babbitt.
• 2016- The Future Role Of Dams in the USA. Ho et al.

DAM AND FLOODPLAIN SAFETY

• See: Dam Safety Resource Page. On the Colorado (OTC).

• Lower Colorado Reports and Publications
• Upper Colorado Reports and Publications

24-MONTH REPORTS (present and projected reservoir conditions)

• CLICK HERE

1970; 1971; 1972; 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1977; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984; 1985; 1986; 1987; 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991; 1992; 1993; 1994; 1995; 1996; 1997; 1998; 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020; 2021; 2022; 2023; 2024 fourth consultation; 2025 first consultation; 2026;

AOPs modified - Lake Powell and Lake Mead operations only; Year 2000 to 2024; A ZIP FILE.

AOP: 30-year averages of unregulated flow into Lake Powell

• 1961 to 1990 - 11.8 million acre-feet (maf)
• 1971 to 2000 - 12.06 million acre-feet (maf) (2008 AOP)
  
• 1971 to 2000 - 12.04 maf (revised in 2010 AOP)
• 1981 to 2010 - 10.83 maf (2013 AOP)
• 1991 to 2020 - 9.6 maf (24-month Report)

AOP CONSULTATION WORK GROUP MEETINGS

• September meeting of: 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020; 2021;

ANNUAL REPORTS: FLAMING GORGE DAM

• Biological Opinion Click here

• 2006; 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020;
• Mid-Year Reports: 2021;

NATURAL FLOW DATA

• Natural Flow Data 1906 to 2017. Updated: March, 2019. Reclamation.

CONSUMPTIVE USES AND LOSSES REPORTS

• 2023 - A survey of the Bureau of Reclamations Decree Accounting Reports in the Lower Colorado River Basin. McCoy for ASCE.
• 2023 - An historical perspective on the accounting for evaporation and system losses in the Lower Colorado River Basin. Kuhn.

Colorado River System (both basins)
1971-1975; 1976-1980; 1981-1985; 1986-1990; 1991-1995; 1996-2000; 2001 - 2005;

Pending reports (both basins): 2006 -2010; 2011 - 2015; 2016 - 2020.

Upper Basin Only
2006 -2010; 2011 - 2015; 2016 - 2020;

• 1971-1995 Upper Basin Consumptive Use/Loss. A 25-year peer review.
• Arizona's Upper Basin Consumption/Loss 1996 to 2017
• Consumptive Use Determination
• 2004 - Report of the Upper Colorado River Commission
• 2005 - Report of the Upper Colorado River Commission
• 2007 - Hydrologic Determination for Upper Basin. Bureau of Reclamation.
• 2009 - Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005. USGS.

LOWER BASIN CONSUMPTIVE USE REPORTS; Reclamation Archive

• 1964; 1965; 1966; 1967; 1968; 1969; 1970; 1971; 1972; 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1977; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984; 1985; 1986; 1987; 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991; 1992; 1993; 1994; 1995; 1996; 1997; 1998; 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020; 2021; 2022; 2023; 2024; 2025; 2026;
• Annual summary page only from 2001 to 2016
• Annual summary from 1906 to 2005; Spreadsheet no longer posted by Reclamation.

OPERATING CRITERIA
Click here to read article about the history of operations at Glen Canyon Dam.

Click here to determine your own analysis of what the Colorado River system of reservoirs will look like in a future.

• 1950 - CRSP and Participating Projects
• 1960 - Reservoir priorities explained. USGS.
• 1962 - General Principles to Govern, and Operating Criteria for, Glen Canyon Reservoir (Lake Powell) and Lake Mead During the Lake Powell Filling Period.
• 1962 - Release of Colorado River Water Impounded in Lake Mead for Sluicing. Congressional Testimony.
• 1968 - Colorado River Basin Project Act
• 1969 -Probabilities and Test Studies on Operating Criteria for the Colorado River. Reclamation.
• 1970 - Operating Criteria for Colorado System Reservoirs
• 1996 - ROD. Glen Canyon Dam.
• 1997 - Glen Canyon Dam operations. Federal Register.
• 2001 - ROD. Surplus Guidelines.
• 2001 - Surplus Guidelines. Federal Register.
• 2001 - Interim Surplus Guidelines
• 2002 - Surplus Guidelines. Federal Register.
• 2003 - Colorado River Water Delivery Agreement (QSA)
• 2004 - 602a Storage Environmental Assessment and FONSI (Sixth Reveiw of LROC. (fact sheet)
• 2005 - Long-Range Operating Criteria (LROC).
• 2005 - Amended Operating Criteria
• 2006 - Federal Register: implement interim guidelines for shortage criteria
• 2005 - Flaming Gorge FEIS (complete)
• 2006 - ROD. Flaming Gorge Dam.
• 2006 - Navajo Reservoir FEIS (complete)
• 2006 - ROD. Navajo Reservoir.
• 2007 - Interim Guidelines FEIS (Hoover and Glen Canyon; complete)
• 2007 - ROD. Interim Guidelines.
• 2007 - Hydrologic Determination for Upper Basin. Bureau of Reclamation.
• 2008 - Shortage Guidelines. Federal Register.
• 2012 - Aspinall Unit FEIS (complete)
• 2012 - ROD Aspinall Unit
• 2016 - Glen Canyon Dam FEIS (complete)
• 2016 - ROD. Glen Canyon Dam.

NAVAJO DAM & SAN JUAN RIVER SHORTAGE SHARING AGREEMENT

• 2003 - San Juan River Maintenance & Base Flow Recommendations. Biological Committee.
• 2003 - San Juan River Principles Implementation of Recommendations.
• 2003 - San Juan River Navajo Nation Resolution
• 2003 - Endorsement Letters San Juan Shortage Agreement
• 2003 - Memorandum New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. Whipple.
• 2009 - Proposed Operating Plan Navajo Reservoir. USBR.
• 2009 - San Juan River Shortage Sharing Agreement. USFWS.
• 2009 - San Juan River Shortage Sharing Recommendations
• 2012 - San Juan River Shortage Sharing Recommendations
• 2013 - Navajo Nation San Juan River New Mexico Water Rights Settlement. Pollack.

DAM REMOVAL

• 2002 - How Dams Vary and Why it Matters: The Emerging Science of Dam Removal. Poff et al.
• 2016 - Dam Removal: Case Studies of Fiscal, Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits. Headwaters Economics.

DAM STUDIES

Western Region

• 1977 - Report of Western Energy Expansion Study. Reclamation.

Glen Canyon Dam (fact sheet)

• 1961 - Design features of Glen Canyon Dam. Bureau of Reclamation.
• 1970 - Glen Canyon Dam technical record of design and construction; searchable doc; for reading the horizontal pages; Chronology; Intro; Geology; Foundation; Dam; Spillways; River Outlets; Penstocks; Powerplant; Switchyard; Visitor Center; Consruction, Appendix. Bureau of Reclamation.
• 1975 - Scientific information in the decisicion to dam Glen Canyon. Lake Powell Research Project Bulletin #9.
• 1984 - Visitors Guide: GC Dam & Steel Bridge. Stan Jones and DOI.
• 1990 - Colorado River ecology and dam management. National Research Council.
• 1994 - Review: Glen Canyon Dam long-term monitoring plan. National Research Council.
• 1996 - Review: River Resource Management in the Grand Canyon. National Research Council.
• 1999 - Review: Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program. National Research Council.

Hoover Dam

• 1922 - The Fall Report: Problems of Imperial Valley and Vicinity.
• 1927 - Boulder Dam from Origin to Swing Johnson Bill. Frank Bohn.
• 1929 - Weymouth Report. Technical record of Hoover Dam. Bureau of Reclamation.
• 1933 - The Construction of Hoover Dam: Investigation, Design & Progress & (searchable pdf)
• 1936 - Construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam. (ocr) Bureau of Reclamation.
• 1930s - Colorado River and Boulder Canyon Project (missing pages; good history). California Commission.
• 1939 - Boulder Canyon Project Final Reports Part V: Technical Investigations.
• 1962 - Release of Colorado River Water Impounded in Lake Mead for Sluicing. Congressional Testimony.
• 2006 - Hoover Dam. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Evolution of the Hoover Dam Inflow Design Flood: A Study in Changing Methodologies. Swain
• 2010 - Hoover Dam Scientific Studies. Rogers.
• 2010- Hoover Dam: Evolution of Dam Design. Rogers.
• 2010 - Hoover Dam Impacts. Rogers.

UPPER BASIN WATER OPERATIONS

• 2000 - 2010: Monthly Summary Reports. Reclamation Archive.
• 24-month reports. Reclamation archive.

Lake Powell Reports cache: 2000; 2001; 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013;

LOWER BASIN WATER OPERATIONS

• 24-Month Reports. Reclamation Archive.

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