Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Hydroshare

Publisher

CUAHSI

Publication Date

3-3-2025

Journal Article Version

Accepted Manuscript

First Page

1

Last Page

38

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Steady low reservoir releases increase downstream primary and aquatic invertebrate (bugs) production. These releases also reduce hydropeaking value, raise costs for hydropower customers, and reduce funds to maintain infrastructure and repay loans. This study quantifies the win-lose tradeoff between hydropeaking value and days per month of steady low releases at Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona. We estimate win-lose tradeoffs for monthly release volumes of 0.71 to 0.95 million acre-feet from March to October 2018 and 0 to 31 days. Conservative estimates indicate that steady low releases on eight weekend days per summer month in 2018 reduced monthly hydropeaking value by $430,000 to $850,000. We used results to design a financial instrument that gives ecosystem managers a budget to choose days of steady low releases and pay hydropower producers for lost value. One option to reduce costs is shifting days of steady low releases to spring/fall months. Next steps include discussing the proposed instrument with more U.S. Federal agencies, conducting more flow experiments, and monitoring how timing and more steady low flow days per month affect bug production. Managers may extend to other experimental releases that mobilize sediment, build sand bars, or disadvantage non-native fish.

Download

Additional Files

CEEfacpub2025-RindRosenberg-BugsPayDaysSupplemental.pdf (1504 kB)

Share

COinS