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General Replacement Reservoir Operations

The general replacement reservoir operating rule (Type 10) provides a method to supply reservoir water to a large number of structures without supplying individual operating rules for each structure. This operating rule has generic applications but was originally developed to handle the Historic User Pool replacement reservoir obligations of Green Mountain Reservoir in the Colorado River Basin. It serves all water rights which are senior to its Administration number which have the variable ireptyp in the direct diversion station file (*.dds) set to offset a diversion (1) or a depletion (-1).

  • The replacement reservoir operating rule checks whether reservoir replacement water will be supplied to a diversion by a direct reservoir release or exchange.
  • When more than one replacement reservoir is specified, they are sorted by Administration number and operate by priority, most senior first.
  • The replacement reservoir-operating rule applies to direct flow structures only. For off-channel structures, a specific operating rule must be included to release from the replacement reservoir to the off-channel structure via a carrier.
  • The need to call a replacement reservoir is checked after every direct flow water right is operated. Replacement operations are called only if the right is senior to the most senior replacement reservoir's administration number and it is water short. The replacement routine then checks if a replacement can be provided and ensures that the replacement amount does not exceed the structure's water right, capacity, and demand.
  • The replacement reservoir operating rule logic is controlled by subroutine Replace. This routine organizes and calls standard StateMod subroutines that control a direct reservoir release (DivresP2) and a reservoir exchange (DivrplP). Therefore reservoir operations are exactly the same when a reservoir operates as a replacement reservoir as they are when the reservoir operates as a standard reservoir.
  • Total releases from a replacement reservoir can be limited to monthly or annual volumetric limits using a Release Limit Plan. See below for additional plan operations or Section 4.49 for Release Limit Plans (Plan Type 12).