# San Juan River releases from Navajo Dam



## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

Hey guys just an update on releases forecast for this spring. Looks like the Animas is going to be pumping out some pretty good water over the spring, and helping refill most area reservoirs while providing some great boating down on the San Juan. 

We're planning to do a short release from Navajo Dam, and it will be timed to coincide with the Animas River peak, which will most likely be end-of-May or early June. The whole release won't be very long, all-in-all about 2-weeks, with 5 days at 5,000 cfs, but if we time it right you could have 10kcfs or greater down near Bluff. 

I'll be posting updates at the link below as soon as we have a date set. Call or email me if you have questions.

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/nvd.html.



-Susan

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Susan Novak Behery, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer
Reclamation
Western Colorado Area Office
Durango, CO
[email protected]
970-385-6560


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Howdy Susan,

Will the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center have sufficient insight of Navajo Dam releases to incorporate release info into San Juan at Bluff forecasts? And how far into the future will there forecast have accurate release details?

I'm very interested in knowing how the process works? Do you send daily notices of dam operations to the CBRFC? Is that process an automated/digital process? Also, again, out of curiosity, how immediate are your decisions. Does someone walk into a office with a Starbucks coffee, looks at a few numbers, and dials a valve one way or another? Is the process controlled by a little dial on a dash board type setting or does someone the size of Hulk turn a wheel 5 feet tall?


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

We speak daily with CBRFC. Their forecasts drive our operations model and then our operations drive their forecasts downstream so it is an iterative process. Any releases we have scheduled they will have input into their model and they will show up in the 10 day forecast at Bluff. Since this maintenance release isn’t firmly scheduled yet with dates, it isn’t in their model yet. We have to match the peak on the Animas with timing so we have an idea of when but no firm date. Greg Smith is the CBRFC forecaster for our basin and you can always call and talk to him if you have specific questions. Very nice knowledgable guy.

I run models, get forecasts, and drink mostly 81301 decaf in the spring. The dam tenders down at the dam “turn the cranks”. There are four different outlets so they’re all different. One is kind of like Plinko on the Price is Right, but no wheels. When the City’s power plant is controlling the releases they make changes from their mission control in Farmington.

For minor release changes I just look at downstream conditions and flows and make those decisions daily. For the big releases we have meetings, coordination, and months of planning.

Hope that helps.

Susan


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Hummmmm, "Plinko on Price is Right"?? That I had to google and now feel visually enlightened having done so. Does your Plinko have accompanying blinking lights, dings, whistles and bells? That I have to see. Does anyone do tours?


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

You know I woke up in the middle of the night realizing I meant the Cliffhanger game, not Plinko. It’s been a while since I watched PiR I guess. Ours does not have the little mountain climber guy unfortunately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHv5jgXz9I8

We do tours, usually for groups so if it’s just one person we might try to lump them in with the next large group.


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Thank you for the clarification. I'd hate to mis-imagine the process, i.e a Plinko vs Cliffhanger gauge. Now I know. However, perhaps you should have a little rafter rowing up the gauge singing "Oh Man River" or some other appropriate song(Row Row Row your boat" perhaps). 

BTW, when would the raft drop off the end like the yodeling mtn climber and at what CFS would that happen.  By that I mean, does that gauge max out? Does it measure in CFS? But I'm sure you have more important things to do than answer these questions.


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

That particular outlet will max out at about it 1600 cfs but it will vary depending on pool elevation. It’s not cfs it’s measured by the percent opening on the gate.

They’re good questions, and anyone interested in how or why things are done are always welcome to call us or come into the office.


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Thanks Susan for your responses. I'm surprised that no one that is running the San Juan this year has any questions concerning the status of the river on their launch date? If I had a launch date I'd pester you hourly.

Anyway, I'd appreciate your posting updates as you decide them based on inflow and status of the Animas peak. Are you guys that control the valves betting on a peak date yet? How about a release out of McPhee? Go any dirt on that notion at this time?


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

No peak guesses beyond last week of May/first week of June. That’s as far as I’m willing to bet. I told people May 28th was a good guess based on history but I’m starting to think that’s probably too early.

McPhee spill is likely but I am not the person to talk to for that- if you want answers I can direct you to my counterpart in Cortez. My guess based on snowpack and filling is that it will mostly occur in early June. But again, I’m not in charge of McPhee.


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## Fly By Night (Oct 31, 2018)

Thanks for the update Susan. I too am interested in a dam tour (pun intended) especially while she is spilling do I can see the waterslide in action..


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

“Spill” is a misnomer, it’s an “operational spill”, meaning controlled outlet works release made after filling, not a true spillway spill.


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## MCSkid (Feb 27, 2008)

Got a trip for the first week of June! Only ran it at 600cfs, what's it like at 10.000? Is the hardest part catching camp eddies?


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## hoosker (Feb 1, 2009)

I’m curious also. I’ve ran between 400 and 2,500, but never close to 10K. We’ve got a beginning of June launch, wondering if I need a grappling hook to catch camps.&#55357;&#56876;


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## royal (May 6, 2016)

landings are a bit harder to make, but not impossible. you have to keep pulling until you hit land and someone jumps off to hold you. have some one competent and ready on the bow line. also camps come up fast. pay attention to where you are or you can easily blow by your intended stop.


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## wayne23 (Dec 30, 2014)

Be sure your spacing is enough for your lead boat to tie off before the next boat comes in. Anticipation an making your move early is key to high h20. You will be at camp early, have fun


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

**UPDATE** Everything's pushing back a week or more. Right now the Animas peak is forecast to be in the June 5-10 range, which means the ramp-up for the Navajo release would start around June 1-ish. This could still push back even further depending weather. I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish it would get hot and dry for once. 

Our website stays updated with my current ponderings and musings on when I think we'll start the release, or feel free to call me.

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/nvd.html


---
Susan Novak Behery, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer
Reclamation
Western Colorado Area Office
Durango, CO
[email protected]
970-385-6560


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

**UPDATE** Everything's pushing back a week or more. Right now the Animas peak is forecast to be in the June 5-10 range, which means the ramp-up for the Navajo release would start around June 1-ish. This could still push back even further depending weather. I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish it would get hot and dry for once. 

Our website stays updated with my current ponderings and musings on when I think we'll start the release, or feel free to call me.

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/nvd.html


---
Susan Novak Behery, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer
Reclamation
Western Colorado Area Office
Durango, CO
[email protected]
970-385-6560


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## Strieby (Jan 1, 2014)

how long does the increase take to reach bluff? less than a day? I've got a June 4 launch and it's just a one boat trip with my wife and 2 young kids. Looks like we may be in the middle of the ramp up.


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

Strieby said:


> how long does the increase take to reach bluff? less than a day? I've got a June 4 launch and it's just a one boat trip with my wife and 2 young kids. Looks like we may be in the middle of the ramp up.


Sorry I didn't see this till now. It takes about 3 days for it to reach Bluff, another day or less to get down to the bottom. So you will have high flows from the Animas, but you may *just* skirt seeing any of the release. The first day we only go up to 2000 cfs (from Navajo) anyways so you'll just be seeing ramp-up.

Check CBRFC's forecast as they (as of the next update) will have our release in their flow forecasts for Bluff. https://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?BFFU1


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

SCHEDULED- 

Ok folks it's scheduled to begin June 3rd. It will take us 5-7 days to get to the peak release of 5,000 cfs, and then we'll hold for 5 days (perhaps 1 or 2 extra days if conditions warrant) and then we'll ramp down over 3 days. The Animas is forecast to be cranking pretty high so we're hoping to get about 10k cfs down there for the ESA requirements. It takes about 2.5-3 days to get to Bluff at the highest flow level.

The schedule is a bit flexible, and will depend on ground conditions, so I'll keep updating our release notices page with information as we move through the release. Sometimes I neglect mountainbuzz when I get really busy so feel free to email or call me or just go to the webpage for more info.

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/nvd.html
https://www.usbr.gov/uc/wcao/water/rsvrs/notice/nav_rel.html

---
Susan Novak Behery, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer
Reclamation
Western Colorado Area Office
Durango, CO
[email protected]
970-385-6560

For Navajo Reservoir Operations and information, visit
https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/nvd.html


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## TUNACAT (Jun 6, 2011)

Sounds Dangerous. I'm willing to take that risk. Please send me your permits!


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## btym (Apr 13, 2019)

Hey Susan, now that we're into August, can you give us an update on anticipated release from the ND? Looks like the gauge at Bluff is still showing a steady 1800cfs, with the dam releasing at 1048cfs yesterday. Should we expect this to hold for a bit?

Also, curious about why the release level has been slowly ramping up over the course of July (while water flowing into the res has been slowing down). I'm certainly happy about it! Just curious 

Thanks for offering so much great info on here Susan-


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

Because this has been such a big water year we are actually moving water right now. End of water year goals are typically to go in with a reservoir in a position to avoid spill in the following year, should a large snow year occur.

We are timing these releases to benefit the endangered fish downstream. The San Juan River Recovery Implementation Program has requested a baseflow deviation (from our normal range of 500 to 1000 cfs) to 1500 cfs for the reach from Farmington to Lake Powell through September. That will likely result in a release that ranges between 800 and 1200 for the summer. In October, there will be a transitional period where we assess how much water we actually were able to move, and if it wasn't enough, those operations may continue for another month. 

Once we hit November, there will be two weeks where we go as low as possible with the release to try to get the flows between Farmington and Lake Powell as close to 500 as possible. They will be doing some tests and experiments and drone flights to assess the difference in habitat between these two flow levels.

After that two-week period, operations will resume as normal, and we will go back to making releases to target something between 500 and 1000 cfs in that critical habitat reach.

Bottom line: Bluff flows will likely average near 1500 cfs through September and possibly even October. Flows November and later will be closer to 500 cfs.

Feel free to call or email with more questions. I happen to have seen the notification today for this message, but if I don't respond right away just email or call me.

---
Susan Novak Behery, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer
Reclamation
Western Colorado Area Office
Durango, CO
[email protected]
970-385-6560


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## btym (Apr 13, 2019)

Great info. You rock Susan. Thanks!


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## DidNotWinLottery (Mar 6, 2018)

Hell of a year for the San Juan!


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