Show Colorado River runoff forecast 45 of normal Because of the current drought In the Rocky Mountain States the July April Colorado River runoff above Lake Powell is expected to be only 36 million feet acre-feet or 45 percent of normal according to the Bureau of Reclamation THE FOIt FORECAST CAST is based on the water content on February 1 of eight snow courses within the watershed area It presumes that precipitation during the remainder of the runoff season will be similar to comparably dry years In the past Despite substantially below normal runoff there will be no shortage of water in the Colorado River system below major storage reservoirs during the next year Although most mast reservoirs will have a net loss over the coming year they will be operated as planned to meet the water needs need of farms and cities in the Colorado River Basin the Bureau of Reclamation pointed out Lake Powell is expected to torise torise torise rise from Its present elevation feet about 11 feet to elevation above mean sea sealevel sealevel sealevel level by June This would be beabout beabout beabout about 11 feet lower than the all all- time high reached in 1975 H Releases leases from Glen Canyon CanyonDam CanyonDam CanyonDam Dam from February to September Sep Sep- tern bel 1977 will be 47 million feet acre with a water year total for 1977 of 82 million acre- acre feet Lake Powell should remain above elevation feet through the summer months and then drop drop- slowly during the fall and winter The lake prior to the 1978 spring runoff should be about elevation feet feel with an active content of million acre BOUT ABOUT 55 million feet acre of runoff should originate on the Green River watershed above Flaming Gorge Dam or 48 percent of normal Of this amount feet acre will willbe willbe willbe be stored In J. J Fontenelle Reservoir Releases from Flaming Gorge should be about 23 million feet acre during water year 1977 With the low forecast Flaming Gorge should continually be drawn down to elevation feet by the end of September 1977 The reservoir should remain at about feet through the fall and winter months prior to spring runoff in 1978 Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Gunnison River is expected to receive about feet acre-feet of inflow or 38 percent of the time long-time average The lake should reach elevation above mean sea level with a ausable ausable ausable usable content of acre- acre feet Morrow Point Reservoir immediately downstream from Blue Mesa Dam should remain near full at feet acre-feet throughout the year On the San Juan River Na Navajo aj Lake should receive a runoff of 54 percent of Jf normal Releases from the lake through the spring and summer months should be cubic feet per second With the acre- acre feet mean forecast the lake level should reach elevation feet above mean sea level during June LAKE MEADS MEAD'S present elevation is 1193 feet above mean sea level or about 10 feet higher than a year ago The reservoir is now 28 feet below the top of the raised spillway gates at Hoover Dam At present it contains million feet acre-feet of available storage of 84 percent of its capacity Based on the present forecast Lake Mead is is' expected expected ex ex- expected to decline 7 feet to about elevation 1186 feet above mean sea level by the end of April and then drop 5 more feet to about elevation 1181 feet by the end of September 1 77 J J. J n. n |