Yampa River: Stagecoach Reservoir releases water prior to raising dam to increase storage

From Steamboat Today (Tom Ross):

…the underlying reason that river flows are so healthy this year is that the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District is releasing an unusual amount of water from Stagecoach Reservoir east of Oak Creek. The district is preparing for a construction project that will increase water storage by almost 10 percent. “Most of what folks are seeing is definitely from the reservoir right now,” Conservancy District Engineer Andy Rossi said. “We began releasing about 142 cfs two weeks ago, and we’ve drawn down the reservoir 3 feet.”

So the unusually high early August flows that are a boon to tubers, trout and the anglers who stalk them are a one-time event as the district adds 4 feet to the top of the concrete dam at Stagecoach. The work will add 3,185 acre-feet of storage capacity to the reservoir that already holds 33,375 acre-feet of water when full. To complete the expansion, the district will draw down the reservoir 15 feet by Sept. 18, but no more than 10 feet by Labor Day…

An overhaul of the turbines used to generate electricity at Stagecoach almost was complete Friday, Rossi said, and power generation will resume within days.

More Yampa River Basin coverage here.