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assume that communities relying on the river as a source of drinking water would implement conservation measures to reduce high summer demands. Intake flows of 85 million gallons per day for the Minneapolis Water Works and 45 million gallons per day for the St. Pau] Regional Water System are likely possible during critical flow periods. Navigation lockages could be restricted or suspended during low-flow periods. Historical records indicate that flows at Anoka have been as low as 602 cfs in 1934, 529 cfs in 1976, 842 cfs in 1988, and 1,530 cfs during the drought period in 2006. The 529 cfs measured in 1976 was an instantaneous flow resulting from automatic gate operations at the Coon Rapids Dam. The lowest daily average recorded that year was 728 cfs. The short-term water-supply plan includes a drought response plan that is triggered by a 72-hour average flow of 2,000 cfs at Anoka, with subsequent decision points occurring at 1,200, 1,000 and 750 cfs (Metropolitan Council, 2007a). Low-flow conditions in the Mississippi River at Fridley during the 1988 drought reached critical conditions. Governor Perpich was faced with the decision to release water from upstream reservoirs at Pokegama and Winibabigoshish reservoirs. That impending decision was greeted with significant controversy by businesses and residents of the upstream reservoir communities that have come to rely on the reservoirs for tourism and tourism-related income. The 1988 drought passed without releasing water from the reservoirs but the pending actions resulted in a review of contingency plans. The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) developed draft drought contingency plans in 1992 for the six Mississippi River Headwaters Reservoirs. The plans describe in detail how reservoir operating decisions will be made during a drought. In 1994, in response to a request from the City of Minneapolis, the ALOE prepared a study for determining the volume and travel time for various releases from the headwaters reservoirs and how flows will recede at Anoka under a variety of conditions. The report highlighted the limited potential of relying on the headwater reservoirs as a source of water supply in the metropolitan area. For instance, if the flow at Anoka is 750 cfs and is forecast to fall to 554 cfs in 37 days, an extra 100 cfs released from Lake Winnibigoshish and Leech Lake (total of 200 cfs) would cause the flow at Anoka to rise [0 760 cfs (a 10 efs net increase) and extend the time it would take the flow at Anoka to fall to 554 cfs by 19 days (Metropolitan Council, 2007a). The ACOE is required with various entities (e.g., DNR, tribal governments, resort owners, etc.) before making its final decision on whether to release additional water. However, release from the reservoirs has never been executed and it is unclear how that process would actually proceed if it was undertaken. P:\Mpls\23 MN\71\237] 105 Water Supply Alternative 5[udy\FnalDeliverablea\Altematives_Report_tinal.doc 27