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professor_mc t1_j4ijmqs wrote

I think percent of capacity would be a better metric. For all I know this could be from 5% of capacity to 12% of capacity which wouldn’t be a big deal. Or is it full?

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NaturalProof4359 t1_j4ilfz7 wrote

Not a bad idea, although most sites in California were built (purposefully) to never reach true “capacity”.

I’d recommend doing a trend line from Sep to Mar from 1980 - 2023, graying the middle 66% trend lines, and separate coloring lines for the top 16% and bottom 16% with year identifies

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unskilledplay t1_j4k1ql5 wrote

There are a bunch of relevant numbers. Below the dead pool threshold power stops generating. Above the flood pool threshold water has to be diverted.

Percent capacity can be a bit hard to interpret because what’s fine for one dam may not be fine for another. These ranges will also change for the same dam over seasons. Without more context it’s not possible to know if the percent capacity is ideal, too high or too low.

Historical average for the time period is probably another good line.

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