Use of inflow forecasts in operation of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead for flood control
Title | Use of inflow forecasts in operation of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead for flood control |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Conference | 1950 |
Authors | Lupton, F. R. |
Conference Name | 18th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Series Title | Proceedings of the 18th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Date Published | April 1950 |
Publisher | Western Snow Conference |
Conference Location | Boulder City, Nevada |
Keywords | Reservoir regulation, Water supply forecasting |
Abstract | A review of regulations for operating Hoover Dam to meet legal requirements is presented. Economical operation of the dam in conjunction with power and irrigation requirements and maintaining discharge releases to inhibit flooding below the dam are described. Maximum flow downstream from the dam is limited to 40,000 cfs which adds another restriction in releasing large volumes of flood control water. Storage space above the dam also has its control height to guard against use of spillways, thus a loss of power. Inflow volumes to the reservoir are forecast for each month January through July. The forecast scheme is designed for temperature and evaporation factors. Various months use different weighting of factors to meet the conditions. Accuracy is high in the first few months but improves considerably in the later months. Tables and graphs illustrate procedure explained in the text.Discussion by Gerald B. Levin. |