LAKE LOWELL

1994 RESERVOIR SURVEY

rFORTHE/-

U.S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Reclamation
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1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave Blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED

September 1995 Final

_____________________________

4. TiTLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS

Lake Lowell Reservoir

1994 Reservoir Survey PR

6. AUTHOR(S)

Ronald L. Ferrari

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

Bureau of Reclamation REPORT NUMBER

Technical Service Center

Denver CO 80225

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING

Bureau of Reclamation AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

Denver Federal Center DIBR

P0 Box 25007

Denver CO 80225-0007

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

Microfiche and hard copy available at the Technical Service Center, Denver, Colorado

12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

Available from the National Technical Information Service,

Operations Division, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161

13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

The Bureau of Reclamation surveyed the underwater area of Lake Lowell in April 1994 to compile field data for

developing a reservoir topographic map and computing a present storage-elevation relationship. The 1994

bathymetric survey used sonic depth recording equipment interfaced with an automated microwave positioning

system that gave continuous depth and sounding positions throughout the reservoir. The above-water reservoir

area was measured from aerial photography obtained prior to the bathymetric survey. The topography was

developed by a computer graphics program using the collected data. The new reservoir contour map is a

combination of the aerial and underwater measured topography.

As of April 1994, at maximum reservoir elevation (feet) 2531.2, the surface area was 9024.8 acres with a total

capacity of 173,043 acre-feet and an active capacity of 159,365 acre-feet.

14. SUBJECT TERMS- -reservoir area and capacity! sedimentationl reservoir surveys/ 15. NUMBER OF PAGES

sonar! sediment distributionl contour area! reservoir area! sedimentation survey! 13

16. PRICE CODE

17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFiCATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFiCATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT

OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT

UL UL UL UL

NSN 7540-01-280-5500 tanaara u-orm o pev. -o)

Pr.scrib.d by ANSI SId. 239-18

298-102
LAKE LOWELL RESERVOIR

1994 RESERVOIR SURVEY

by

Ronald L. Ferrari

Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group

Water Resources Services

Technical Service Center

Denver, Colorado

September 1995
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Bureau of Reclamation's Sedimentation and River Hydraulics

Group of the TSC (Technical Service Center) prepared and

published this report. Ronald Ferrari of the TSC conducted the

hydrographic survey. Personnel from the Columbia Basin Project

Office of the Pacific Northwest Region assisted during the

hydrographic survey and performed the required land survey for

the hydrographic and aerial data collection. Special thanks to

Jack McFarlin and Doug Schmidt of the project office for their

field assistance during the hydrographic survey. Ronald Ferrari

completed the data processing needed to generate the new

topographic map and area-capacity tables. Paul Weghorst of the

TSC developed the procedures for generating the new topographic

maps and computing the surface areas. James Melena performed

the peer review of this documentation.

U.S. Department of the Interior

Mission Statement

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the

Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally-owned public lands

and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use of our land

and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife, and biological

diversity; preserving the environmental and cultural values of our

national parks and historical places; and providing for the enjoyment of

life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy

and mineral resources and works to ensure that their development is in

the best interests of all our people by encouraging stewardship and

citizen participation in their care. The Department also has a major

responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for

people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.

The information contained in this report regarding commercial

products or firms may not be used for advertising or promotional

purposes and is not to be construed as an endorsement of any

product or firm by the Bureau of Reclamation.

The information contained in this report was developed for the

Bureau of Reclamation; no warranty as to the accuracy,

usefulness, or completeness is expressed or implied.

U
CONTENTS

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Page

Introduction 1

Summary and conclusions 2

Reservoir operations 2

Survey method and equipment 3

Reservoir area and capacity 3

Original capacity 3

1994 topography development 4

Development of 1994 contour areas 5

1994 storage capacity 5

References 6

Table

TABLES

1 Reservoir sediment data summary (page 1 of 2) 7

1 Reservoir sediment data summary (page 2 of 2) 8

FIGURES

Figure

1 Lake Lowell location map 9

2 Lake Lowell Dams, plan and section 10

3 Lake Lowell topographic map 11

4 1994 area and capacity curves-Lake Lowell Reservoir 13

111
INTRODUCTION

Lake Lowell, formally Deer Flat Reservoir, is an off-stream storage facility formed by three

earth-fill dams and is one of five storage reservoirs of the Boise Project. Lake Lowell is located

in Canyon County about 5 miles west of Nampa and 25 miles west of Boise, Idaho (fig. 1).

On March 27, 1905, the original Boise Project (now the Arrowrock Division) was authorized

under provisions of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388). The dams of Lake

Lowell consist of three zoned, rolled earthfill embankments called the Upper, Middle, and

Lower Dams (fig. 2). A fourth embankment, called the East (Roadway) Dike, was completed

in 1911. Little is known about the construction of the East Dike, the purpose of which is to

protect farmsteads on the eastern end of the reservoir during full conditions. Construction of

the structures took place between 1906 and 1911; closure and first storage took place in 1908.

At elevation 2531.2, the reservoir length is 9.2 miles and average width is 0.65 mile.

The Upper Embankment was constructed from 1906 through 1908 with modifications in 1911

and 1938. The embankment has a crest length of 4,164 feet with a structural height of 74 feet,

a hydraulic height of 72 feet, and a crest elevation of 2539.2 (±0.2 ft). Near the right abutment,

the Deer Flat Nampa Canal has a diversion capacity of 100 cubic feet per second; near the left

abutment, the Deer Flat Caldwell Canal has a diversion capacity of 70 cubic feet per second.

The Lower Embankment was constructed from 1906 through 1908 with modifications in 1909,

1913, and 1938. The embankment has a crest length of 7,270 feet with a structural height of

46 feet, a hydraulic height of 44 feet, and a crest elevation of 2539.3 (±1.6 ft). The Low Line

Canal at the left abutment has a diversion capacity of 1,200 cubic feet per second, and the Deer

Flat North Canal at the right abutment has a capacity of 70 cubic feet per second.

The Middle Embankment, which has no diversion structures, was completed in 1911 and has

a structural height of 16 feet, a crest length of 1,262 feet, and a crest elevation of 2536.0

(±0.1 ft). Lake Lowell is an off-stream reservoir with no spillway structure. The Middle

Embankment, which was constructed with a lower crest elevation than the other

embankments, has been referred to as an emergency spillway; however, no slope protection is

provided for this purpose.

Lake Lowell receives the majority of its inflow from the Boise River, via the New York Canal,

whose headworks is located about 5 miles east of Boise, Idaho, and about 40 channel miles

from Lake Lowell. The contributing drainage area of Lake Lowell is 63.5 square miles, of

which 23.3 percent is reservoir area. The drainage area's elevations range from 2,501.2 feet

at the reservoir to 3,010 feet at the southern boundary. Drainage runoff enters the reservoir

from small natural streams or through the basin's extensive canal system. Water is diverted

from the reservoir through the four separate canal outlets located at the Upper and Lower

Embankments. The total capacity of all the canal outlets is 1,440 cubic feet per second.

* The definition of terms such as "structural height," hydraulic height," etc., may be found in manuals such as

Reclamation's Design of Small Dams and Guide for Preparation of Standing Operating Procedures for Dams and

Reservoirs, or ASCE's Nomenclature for Hydraulics.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This report presents the 1994 results of the first extensive reservoir survey of Lake Lowell

Reservoir by the Bureau of Reclamation since construction of the dams. The primary objectives

of the survey were to:

• gather data needed for developing new reservoir topography

• compute area-capacity relationships

• resolve the issue of the reservoir's elevation datum.

Standard land surveying methods were used to establish horizontal and vertical control points

for the aerial and hydrographic surveys. A horizontal grid system was established for both

surveys using monumented control points located in the reservoir area. The bathymetric

survey was run using sonic depth recording equipment interfaced with an automated survey

system consisting of a line-of-sight microwave positioning unit capable of determining sounding

locations within the reservoir. The system continuously recorded reservoir depth and

horizontal coordinates as the survey boat was navigated along close spaced gridlines covering

the reservoir area. The positioning system provided information to allow the boat operator to

maintain course along these gridlines. Water surface elevations measured by the land

surveyors at the time of data collection were used to convert the sonic depth measurements to

true lake bottom elevations.

The 1994 underwater surface areas at predetermined 2-foot contour intervals were generated

by a computer graphics program using the collected data. The above-water reservoir area was

measured from aerial photography obtained on January 26, 1994, at approximate water

surface elevation 2515.0. The new reservoir contour map is a combination of the aerial and

underwater topography and is drawn at 5-foot contour intervals for clarity (fig. 3). The revised

area and capacity tables were produced by a computer program that used the measured

contour surface areas and a curve-fitting technique to compute area and capacity at prescribed

elevation increments.

Table 1 contains a summary of results for the 1994 reservoir survey. The 1994 survey

determined that the reservoir has a total storage capacity of 173,043 acre-feet and a surface

area of 9024.8 acres at reservoir elevation 2531.2. No sediment calculations are given because

of the unknown original capacity of Lake Lowell.

RESERVOIR OPERATIONS

The reservoir is primarily an irrigation facility having no flood control storage (the following

values are from April 1994 area-capacity tables):

• 159,365 acre-feet of active conservation storage between elevations 2504.2 and 2531.2.

• 5,823 acre-feet of inactive storage between elevations 2501.2 and 2504.2 (the inactive

storage is required for proper outlet works discharge).

• 7,855 acre-feet of dead storage below elevation 2501.2.

Lake Lowell is an off-stream reservoir that receives the majority of its inflow from Boise River

diversions. Available records for years 1949 through 1994 show that the average unregulated
inflow into the reservoir was 248,570 acre-feet per year. This value would compute to a mean

annual runoff of 73.4 inches for the 63.5-square-mile basin. The inflow and end-of-month stage

records in table 1 show the annual fluctuation of the reservoir. The end-of-month elevation

records were measured from different datums, and it is assumed that they would have to be

adjusted +0.7 feet to be tied to the mean sea level datum. The available records show Lake

Lowell operation ranging from elevation 2506.2 in 1992 to elevation 2531.2, which occurred

from 1957 through 1959.

SURVEY METHOD AND EQUIPMENT

The Lake Lowell hydrographic survey was completed using the contour method as outlined by

Blanton (1982). The procedure involved collecting adequate coordinate data for developing a

reliable contour map by photogrammetric and bathymetric survey methods. Standard land

surveying methods were used by Columbia Basin Project Office personnel to establish

horizontal and vertical control points for both survey methods. A horizontal grid system was

established for both surveys using monumented points, with state plane coordinates, located

in the reservoir area. The vertical control for the study was based on Bureau of Reclamation

vertical datum. The above water data were collected by aerial photography obtained on

January 26, 1994, at approximate reservoir elevation 2515.0. The field survey work for the

bathymetric survey involved establishing a triangulation network around the reservoir to

provide horizontal and vertical control for all required gridlines and shore stations. No range

lines had been previously established on the lake, and it was decided not to establish

permanent range lines during this survey. Because of the size and shape of the reservoir, any

future survey would also employ the contour method; therefore, permanent range line end

markers were not necessary.

The hydrographic survey was run from April 20 through 22, 1994, with the reservoir at water

surface elevation 2526.95,2526.80, and 2526.64 respectively. The bathymetric surveywas run

using sonic depth recording equipment interfaced with an automated survey system consisting

of a line-of-sight microwave positioning unit capable of determining sounding locations within

the reservoir. This positioning system transmitted line-of-sight microwave signals to fixed

shore stations and converted the reply time to range distances, which were used by the system

data logger to compute the coordinate position of the sounding boat. The survey system

continuously recorded reservoir depth and horizontal coordinates as the survey boat moved

across close-spaced gridlines covering the reservoir area. An average grid spacing of 400 feet

was selected to produce adequate data for developing contours of Lake Lowell. The system

gave directions to the boat operator to assist in maintaining course along the close-spaced

gridlines. During each run, the depth and position data were recorded on a floppy disk for

subsequent processing by Technical Service Center personnel. A graph plotter was used in the

field to track the boat and ensure adequate coverage during the collection process. Water

surface elevations surveyed at the time of collection were used to convert the sonic depth

measurements to true lake bottom elevations.

RESERVOIR AREA AND CAPACITY

Original Capacity

The original area-capacity curves for Lake Lowell reported the total capacity as 190,000 acrefeet with a surface area of 9,840 acres at a reservoir elevation of 2530.5. The original capacity

curves (drawing number 4-100-215) note that the dead storage was 13,000 acre-feet but give
no additional information. The drawing also notes that the capacity curve represents visual

capacity. These values do not compare very well with the 1994 measured surface areas and

computed capacity values, which questions the accuracy of the original data. A plot of the

original area data versus the 1994 measured areas showed near mirror images of each other;

the elevation datum difference varied between 2.2 and 2.8 feet. The difference between the

original and 1994 surface areas is caused by the datum difference. A comparison between the

original and 1994 capacity for computing sediment volumes is not possible because limited

information is available on the original dead portion of the reservoir.

1994 Topography Development

The topography of Lake Lowell was developed from collected aerial and underwater coordinate

data. To develop the contours around the three embankment dams, the contour elevation

2540.0 was digitized from the United States Geological Survey 7.5 Minute Quadrangle (USGS

Quads) Maps that cover the Lake Lowell area. These maps were dated 1958 with

photorevisions in 1971. ARC/INFO V7.0.2 Geographic Information System software was used

to digitize the contours. The digitized contours were transformed to Idaho West Zone State

Plane Coordinates using the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 1927). These

transformations were performed using the ARC/INFO PROJECT command.

Contours for elevations below elevation 2540.0 feet were computed from collected underwater

data using the TIN (triangular irregular network) surface modeling package within

ARC/INFO. The aerial and underwater survey data were collected in the Idaho West Zone

State Plane Coordinates in NAD 1927. The collected data ranged in elevation from 2469.4 to

2582.4 feet. A TIN is a set of adjacent, non-overlapping triangles computed from irregularly

spaced points with x-y coordinates and z values. TIN was designed to deal with continuous

data such as elevations.

The TIN software uses a method know as Delaunay's criteria for triangulation. Triangles are

formed between all data points including all boundary points. This method preserves all

collected survey points. The method requires that a circle drawn through the three nodes of

a triangle will contain no other point. This requirement means that sample points are

connected to their nearest neighbors to form triangles. Elevation contours are then

interpolated along the triangle elements. The TIN method is discussed in great detail in the

ARC/INFO V7.0.2 User's Documentation.

The elevation 2540.0-foot contour that was digitized from USGS Quads was used to perform

a clip of the Lake Lowell TIN such that interpolation was not allowed to occur outside of the

2540.0 contour. This method was necessary to force closure of the contours on the reservoir

side of the three embankment dams. This clip was performed using the hardclip option of the

ARC/INFO CREATETIN command. In creating the TIN, points that fell within a set distance

of each other were weeded out to eliminate flat triangular elements. Flat triangles occur where

all three points making up a triangle have the same elevation. Elimination of redundant

points helped to improve the performance of the contouring process as well as helped to create

more continuous contours in the lower elevations of the reservoir.

The linear interpolation option of the ARC/INFO TINCONTOUR command was used to

interpolate contours from the Lake Lowell TIN. In addition, the contours were generalized by

weeding out vertices along the contours. This generalization process improved the

presentability of the resulting contours by removing very small variations in the contour lines.

4
This generalization had no bearing on the computation of areas and volumes for Lake Lowell.

The contour topography at 5-foot intervals is presented on figure 3.

Development of 1994 Contour Areas

The 1994 contour surface areas for Lake Lowell were computed in 1-foot intervals from

elevation 2484.0 to 2540.0 using the Lake Lowell TIN discussed above. The 1994 survey

measured the minimum reservoir as elevation 2483.6 feet. These calculations were performed

using the ARC/INFO VOLUME command. This command computes areas at user specified

elevations directly from the TIN and takes into consideration all regions of equal elevation.

An additional clip was digitized to account for the area removed by the fourth embankment

dam, called the East (Roadway) Dike. The purpose of the East Dike is to protect farmsteads

on the eastern end of the reservoir during full conditions. Using the methods described above,

a second TIN was created of Lake Lowell for computing the surface areas of the reservoir only.

Comparing the area computations of both TINs found that farmstead protection from the East

Dike occurs when the reservoir water surface reaches elevation 2523.0 and above.

The contour surface areas of elevations 2518.0 and 2531.0 were measured from the USGS

Quads of Lake Lowell to further verify the 1994 study datum adjustments and the measured

surface areas. The measured surface areas of the two contours from the USGS Quads were

within 0.5 percent of the computed 1994 surface areas for the same contour elevation.

1994 Storage Capacity

The storage-elevation relationships based on the measured surface areas were developed using

the area-capacity computer program ACAP85 (Reclamation, 1985). Surface areas at 2-foot

contour intervals from minimum reservoir elevation 2483.6 to maximum active conservation

storage elevation 2531.2 were used as the control parameters for computing the Lake Lowell

capacity. The program can compute an area and capacity at elevation increments of 0.01 to 1.0

foot by linear interpolation between the given contour surface areas. The program begins by

testing the initial capacity equation over successive intervals to ensure that the equation fits

within an allowable error limit, which was set at 0.000001 for Lake Lowell. This capacity

equation is then used over the full range of intervals fitting within this allowable error limit.

For the first interval at which the initial allowable error limit is exceeded, a new capacity

equation (integrated from the basic area curve over that interval) tests the fit until it also

exceeds the error limit. Thus, the capacity curve is defined by a series of curves, each fitting

a certain region of data. Final area equations are derived by differentiating the capacity

equations, which are of second order polynomial form:

y = a + ax + ax2

where:

y = capacity

x = elevation above a reference base

a = intercept

a2 and a3 = coefficients

5
Results of the 1994 Lake Lowell area and capacity computations are listed in table 1. A

separate set of 1994 area and capacity tables has been published for the 0.01-, 0.1-, and 1-foot

elevation increments (Reclamation, 1994). A description of the computations and coefficients

output from the ACAP85 program is included with these tables. The 1994 area-capacity curves

are plotted on figure 4. As of April 1994, at reservoir elevation 2531.2, the surface area was

9,024.8 acres with a total capacity of 173,043 acre-feet and an active capacity of 159,365 acrefeet. The active capacity is considered from elevation 2504.4 to top of conservation storage

elevation 2531.2. Top of dead storage elevation is 2501.2, but to obtain proper outlet works

discharge there is inactive storage between elevations 2501.2 to 2504.4.

REFERENCES

American Society of Civil Engi neers,Nomenclature forHydraulics, ASCE Headquarters, New

York, 1962.

Blanton, J.O. III, Procedures for Monitoring Reservoir Sedimentation: Technical Guideline

for Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office, Denver, CO, October 1982.

Bureau of Reclamation, Project Data, Denver Office, Denver, CO, 1981.

Bureau of Reclamation, Surface Water Branch, ACAP85 User's Manual, Denver Office,

Denver, Colorado, 1985.

Bureau of Reclamation, Guide for Preparation of Standing Operating Procedures for Bureau

of Reclamation Dams and Reservoirs, U.S. Government Printing Office, Denver, CO, 1987a.

Bureau of Reclamation, Design of Small Dams, U.S. Government Printing Office, Denver, CO,

1987b.

Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Service Center, Lake Lowell Area and Capacity

Tables, Boise Project, Pacific Northwest Region, Denver, CO, May 1995.

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., ARC Command References, 1992.

6
RESERVOIR SEDIMENT

Lake Lowell

1

DATA SUMMARY

NAME OF RESERVOIR

DATA SHEET NO

D 1. OWNER Bureau of Reclamation 2. STREAM offatream' 3. STATE Idaho

A 4. SEC. 19 TWP. 3N RANGE 3W 5. NEAREST P.O. CaIdwell 6. COUNTY Canyon

M 7. LAT 43 3330 LONG 1I6 38 55' 8. TOP OF DAM ELEVATION 2538.02 9. SPILLWAY CREST 2537.5'

E

10. STORAGE

ALLOCATION

11. ELEVATION TOP

OF POOL4

12. ORIGINAL

SURFACE AREA, Ac

13. ORIGINAL

CAPACITY, AF

14. GROSS STORAGE

ACRE- FEET

15. DATE

STORAGE

S a. SURCHARGE BEGAN

b. FLOOD CONTROL 1908

c. POWER

o d.WATERSUPPLY 16. DATE

I e. CONSERVATION 2530.5 9,840' 169,000 190,000 NORMAL

R OPE TION , INACTIVE 2503.56 2,775 8,000 21,000 RA

g. DEAD 250056 1,960 13,000 13,000

17. LENGTH OF RESER'vuIR 9.2 MILES AVG. WIDTH OF RESLEVOIR 0.65 MILEa

18. TOTAL DRAINAGE AREA 63.5 SQUARE MILES 22. MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION 11.7' INCHES

A 19. NET SEDIMENT CONTRIBUTING AREA 63.5 SQUARE MILES 23. MEAN ANNUAL RUNOFF 73426 INCHES

20. LENGTH MILES AV. WIDTH MILES 24. MEAN ANNUAL RUNOFF 248,570' ACRE-FEET

N 21. MAX. ELEVATION 3,010 MIN. ELEVATION 2,501.2 25. ANNUAL TEMP. MEAN 524F RANGE -23F to 108F7

U

R

26. DATE OF

SURVEY

______________

27.

PER.

YRS.

28.

ACCL.

'IRS.

29. TYPE OF

SURVEY

30. NO. OF

RANGES OR

INTERVAL

31. SURFACE

AREA, AC.

32. CAPACITY

ACRE-FEET

33. C/I

RATIO AF/AF

V

E

D

1908 Contour (R)

4/94 96 96 Contour(D) 2-ft 9,024.8 173,034

________________

A

T

26. DATE OF

SURVEY

34. PERIOD

ANNUAL

35. PERIOD WATER INFLOW, ACRE FEET WATER INFLOW TO DATE, AF

A PRECIP. a. MEAN ANN. b. MAX. ANN. c. TOTAL a. MEAN ANN. b. TOTAL

4/94 11.7 248,57086 408,500 - 248,5706 -

26. DATE OF

SURVEY

37. PERIOD CAPACITY LOSS, ACRE-FEET 38. TOTAL SEDIMENT DEPOSITS TO DATE, AF

a. TOTAL b. AV. ANN. c. /MI.2-YR. a. TOTAL b. AV. ANNUAL c. IMI.'-YR.

26. DATE OF

SURVEY

39. AV. DRY WT.

(#IFT'3)

40. SED. DEP. TONS/MI.2-YR.

____________________________

41. STORAGE LOSS, PCT. 42. SEDIMENT

INFLOW, PPM

________________

a. PERIOD b. TOTAL TO

DATE

a. AV. ANNUAL b. TOTAL TO

DATE

a.

PER

b

TOT.

26DAiE 43. DEFTH DESIGNATION RANGE IN FEET BELOW, AND ABOVE, SPILLWAY CREST ELEVATION

SURVEY I I I I I I I I I

PERCENT OF TOTAL SEDIMENT LOCATED WITHIN DEPTH DESIGNATION

N/A

21. DATE 44. REACH DESIGNATION PERCENT OF TOTAL ORIGINAL LENGTH OF RESERVOIR

SURVEY 0-10 10-

20

20-

30

30-

40

40-

50

50-

60

60-

70

70-

80

80-

90

90-

100

100- 105-

105 110

110-

115

115-

120

120-

125

PERCENT OF TOTAL SE DIMENT LOCATED WITHIN REACH DESIGNATION

N/A

Table 1. - Reservoir sediment data summary (page 1 of 2).
45 RANGE IN RESERVOIR OPERATION

WATER YEAR MAX ELEV. MIN. ELEV. INFLOW, AF WATER YEAR MAX. ELEV. MIN. ELEV INFLOW, AF

1948 1949 2528.5 2509.4

1950 2530.4 2510.6 1951 2529.8 25150

1952 25:30,3 2513.6 1953 2530.8 2514.7

1954 2529.1 2514.5 1955 2529.1 2508.6

1956 2528.4 2513.9 1957 2530.5 25104

1958 2530.5 2518.7 1959 2530.5 2511.0

1960 25296 2509.0 1961 2529.7 2516.2

1962 2530.2 2517.2 1963 2529.3 2521.3 215,700

1964 2529.6 2520.5 308,700 1965 2530.1 2525.2 320,400

1966 2527.4 2510.2 167,500 1967 2529.5 2511.8 364,400

1968 2527.8 2522,4 258,100 1969 2529.3 2520.2 272,400

1970 2529.7 2516.5 250,900 1971 2528.0 2517.4 264,700

1972 2527.4 2513.0 224200 1973 2529.0 2510.3 266,700

1974 2528.1 2510.2 320,000 1975 2529.7 2515.6 272.900

1976 2529.0 2515.5 299,500 1977 2524.0 2507.8 110,900

1978 2530.4 2510.7 408,500 1979 2528.5 2511.8 202,400

1980 2529.9 2516.7 280,500 1981 2529.9 2514.9 207,500

1982 2529.2 2520.9 297,700 1983 2529.3 2521.0 249,300

1984 2529.3 2518.3 253,900 1985 2526.7 2513.2 244,800

1966 2528.2 2515.3 285,700 1987 2526.9 2514.3 134,600

1988 2523.4 2513.9 213,710 1989 2525.8 2513.2 278,830

1990 2522.4 2510.6 167,940 1991 2523.0 2512.0 -

1992 2515.9 2505.5 68,230 1993 2523.4 2507.0 -

1994 2525.5 2511.3 _________________

46. ELEVATION - iulEA - CAPACITY DAs A FOR 1994 TOTAL uAPAC1TY °

ELEV. AREA CAP. ELEV. A1'tEA CAP. ELEV. AREA CAP

2483.6 0 0 2485 4.8 3 2487 61.3 69

2489 145.1 276 2491 260.2 681 2493 441.7 1,383

2495 626.1 2,451 249-7 762.9 3,840 2499 904.9 5,508

2500 983.5 6,452 2501.2 1,355.7 7,855 2503 2,091.0 10,957

2505 2,678.5 15,727 2507 3,195.3 21,601 2509 3,724.1 28,520

2511 4,262.0 36,506 2513 4,812.1 45,580 2515 5,366.9 55,759

2517 5,948.1 67,074 2519 6,383.5 79,406 2521 6,797.1 92,587

2523 7,184.4 106,568 2525 7,633.5 121,386 2527 8,075.9 137,095

2529 8,545.2 153,716 2531,2 9,024.8 173,043

47. REMARKS ANt) REFERENCES

Water diverted from Boise River through New York Canal.

Reservoir formed by three earthflll dams, (Upper, Lower, and Middle). A fourth dike called East Roadway protects farmsteads when reservoir water content is near full.

Offstream reservoir with no spillway structure. Middle embankment is 0.5 feet lower than other two dikes and serves as emergency spillway.

Original elevations prior to datum adjustments. Many survey datums have been done throughout the history of Lake Lowell. A 1990 survey measured the maximum

conservation water surface elevation as 2,531.2 feet (mean sea level).

Original area and capacity values from Reclamation reservoir allocation sheet which reference area-capacity curves dated 7./15/31 (drawing number 4-100-215) . Many questions

on accuracy of onginal area and capacity values and datum elevation to use. No surface area date available on dead storage portion of lake.

1990 survey determined top of inactive elevation 2504.2 and top of dead elevation 2501.2. The inactive storage is required for proper outlet works discharge.

Bureau of Reclamation Project Data Book of Boise Project, 1966 - 80.

Calculated using mean annual runoff value of 248,570 acre-ft (item 24).

Calculated unregulated monthly inflows for available reservoir operation records, 1963 through 1994. Missing records for water years 1991 and 1993.

There are many questions as to validity of original area-capacity date. Original values are needed to accurately compute capacity loss caused by sediment since 1908.

End-of-month maximum and minimum reservoir elevations for indicated water years. For water year 1994, date through April 1994. Elevation not adjusted for the many

different datums that were used.

1994 total capacity computed by Bureau of Reclamation program ACAP using 1994 measured areas.

48. AGENCY MAKING SURVEY Bureau of Reclamation

49. AGENCY SUPPLYING DATA Bureau of Reclamation

j

DATE May 1995

Table 1. - Reservoir sediment data summary (page 2 of 2).
McCill

/

Council t\" (

IRRIGA8LE AREA

/

CASCADE

RESERVOIR

Cascde

CRANE CREE j f (

DEADWOOD

RESE VOIR Jy-' RESERVOIR

P7eier I

/

WASH iNGTON I 7

___

ç • CU/TER

P A YT E

- / L ' H-- / Lownian

avette / /

o1

/ GEM /

• E.ACE CAVYON DAM

:::::..

4YD POWERPL

- . •€

• GAGUIG SG1iOw

L.&CJC CA.NYO4T

• z;•Ern eti

.L_1 :.::.--i--------.--- ( BOISE

I. .Li,c.::.:::::.:. ADA "-.

\

RIVER LUCKY PEAK

* .-. RESERVOiR

::::.:.•.*..:..:..:C.:.*.::._ B()ISI*;\ (cE

LOWELL.::. .i ARROWROCK

7

RGS.

. :::: RESERVOIR

Il

I ç:- N1Ir' •.. ... •• : so1s RIVZR

C -)

-. wo' -.-.-::•: -:-:-:•: :& - I VERSION DAM

I CANYON

-7

E LMORE

Murphy

SCALE OF MILES

10 5 0 10

fo

1/

ANDERSON RANCH

RESERVOIR

Home

Figure 1. - Lake Lowell location map.

9
Space intentionally left blank due to security concerns 
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SUlFA SEC/All T/l

LAKE LOIELL - IDAHO

Topogrcpky

!,/s fire/ic! - Ai,e,,eck liris/eg

PIA#V jr 'fr.'c,i s,p,9,,/

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10000

2535 TT

2530

2525 H2520

2515

2510

z

0

I. 2505

2500

2495

2490

2485

2480

0 40000 80000 120000

CAPACITY (ACRE-FEET)

160000

0

200000

Figure 4. - 1994 area and capacity curves-Lake Lowell.

AREA (ACRES)

8000 6000 4000 2000
Mission

The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and

protect water and related resources in an environmentally and

economically sound manner in the interest of the American Public.