Show April April- July April July Colorado River Runoff Forecast Climbs Slig Slightly The Bureau of Reclamations Reclamation's tion's forecast for runoff I from the Colorado river w wa watershed April through July increased slightly duri during g May but is still less than half of the longtime average for this period A forecast of oI 39 million feet acre-feet pf pI runoff for April April- July J based on on June 1 water supply over the watershed is 46 mil million feet acre below below be low the longtime average 79 million acre feet acre feet below last years year's bumper water yield The June 1 forecast is feet acre higher than that of May 1 1 The record low runoff for this period was 22 million mil mil- million million feet acre-feet in 1934 or 17 lion feet acre-feet below this years year's June 1 forecast and 63 million feet acre-feet below the longtime average Based on the June 1 forecast forecast forecast fore fore- cast runoff of 87 million feet acre-feet for the water year ending next September 30 Is indicated This amounts to about two thirds of the longtime longtime longtime long long- time average water year runoff of acre acre- feet The below average runoff this year ear h w y r augmented augmented aug by las years year's water yield from Irom the watershed will assure m ll maintenance nce of all major 1 Bureau of pf Reclamation Reclamation Reclamation mation reservoirs on the Colorado Colorado Co Co- lorado River r system at o operational op levels Reservoirs on the Colorado Colo Color rado vcr river system at prest present present pres pres- ent eat have a combined storage of million feet acre 82 per cent of which q Is Js held In Inthe Inthe Inthe the streams stream's largest lakes- lakes Mead behind Hoover Dam and Powell back of pf Glen Gien Canyon Dam Lake Mead Mearl Is at elevation 1133 feet above mean sea sealevel level leyel pr PI 10 Id feet I baye its Us rated operating head The reservoir contains lJ mil mil- million million lion acre feet of water or 57 per cent ent pf of Its capacity T The reservoir will wll b he be held eld at or above Its Us rated head Lake Powell rowen filling ruling since March 1963 1063 Is at e elevation feet above mean sea sealevel sealevel sealevel level and contains 95 million mil lion feet acre of storage Lake Mead and Lake Powell are Ire 2 23 f feet et and am 53 feet higher high high- I er er respectively than at this this' time last year h j 1 Lake Powell 3 million acre feet acre f et above the minimum power operating level Power operations during during dur duro ing the fall and winter should cau cause e the reservoir to recede about 2 million feet acre-feet to elevation feet by March of 1967 Flaming Gorge Reservoir Is now near its seasonal peak elevation and will decline about 17 feet by the end of ot I March 1967 just prior to to the runoff period The level of Fontenelle Reservoir will be retained at approximately lm t ly acre acre- feet of storage throughout the coming year while rep repairs repairs re re- re- re p pairs to the dam and stilling basin are In progress Release at Navajo Reservoir Reservoir Reservoir Reser Reser- voir will be restricted to the minimum required for downstream downstream down down- stream uses This should cause the reservoir to rise gradually throughout the summer to about elevation feet by the end o of August Reservoir levels at Blue Mesa 1 are arc still rising and should reach about feet acre-feet of storage this month Thereafter the reservoir res res- should drop slightly through the fall and winter to a seasonal minimum in March 1 of pf 1967 |