CRAIG — The Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District is releasing water from the Stagecoach Reservoir to supply the needs of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s Craig Station, which started on Thursday, Aug 16.

The released water will be protected by the Colorado Division of Water Resources Division 6 engineer Erin Light and her staff according to the Water Conservancy’s release. They will make sure the 80-mile section of the Yampa River Between Stagecoach Reservoir and Craig Station’s intake remains in the river and not diverted by other water users.

The Colorado Water Trust will continue releasing water to support the health of the Yampa River.

Upper Yampa Water manager Kevin McBride said, “Upper Yampa is pleased to release water to our customers, Tri-State and the Colorado Water Trust during this drought. These releases, for an industrial and environmental purpose individually, will combine to have a great beneficial effect for all of us in the valley.”

During droughts, Senior manager of communications and public affairs at Tri-State Lee Boughey said, it is critical to have water storage in the Yampa River basin. Working with Upper Yampa and the Colorado Water Trust will ensure power generation continues while improving the health of Yampa.

The release from Stagecoach Reservoir is the Upper Yampa’s largest release so far and includes up to 70 cubic feet per second of water from Tri-State’s leased water pool. The release will be reevaluated in the next week and could be reduced depending on the river conditions and forecasts.

Stagecoach Dam and Reservoir is located east of Oak Creek and was constructed by Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District in 1989 to supply water for agriculture irrigation, municipalities and industries in northwest Colorado.