Show Upper Colorado River Runoff Will Aid Gorge A forecast of 9 million acre feet as the most likely runoff of the Upper Colorado River duro dur- Ing during the coming April through July season cou I 1 d mean mean- if the runoff lives up to early expectations expectations- that Lake Mend Merid could be reo re- returned elevation turned to its rated power eleva eleva- tion by the end of next July the Bureau of Reclamation said to to- to day today RECLAMATION RECLAMATION officials lean hea heavily vily on the if in their statement explaining that many factors could cause i c changes in a forecast based on- on ly only precipitation on above average tion this early in the water year The forecast of 9 million acre acre- feet is merely the most likely July April runoff to be expected provided the rest of the winter vinter and early early spring holds up to the term long average There is about an ev ev- ev even en chance of a runoff on the Colorado River of somewhere between and feet acre during the month 4 season with 9 million being the best forecast at the present time SHOULD THE 9 million acre acre- feet of runoff actually occur on schedule then Reclamation of of- of officials are confident ent Lake Mead could be returned to its rated power elevation of 1123 feet sometime during July This is 35 feet higher than its present level If the present forecast actual actual- actually ly materializes into 9 million feet acre o of water during the April July season indicating a total River runoff of about feet acre dur- dur during during ing 1965 the following circum circum- circumstances stances would appear reason reason- reasonable able as far as operations of the Colorado River Storage Project reservoirs are concerned Lake Powell Glen Canyon would be held slightly above feet elevation the mini mini- minimum mum level at which the Glen Canyon can be kept in production All of the spring runoff would be passed down down- downstream stream to swell swen Lake Mead FLAMING GORGE Reservoir levels would continue to fall slowly until April 1 to about ele ele- ele elevation feet due to contino contin- continued maximum power production tion At this level the reservoir would be fe feet t de deep p at at th the the Flamin Flaming Gorge generators With any excess above turbine capacity released through the gates In order to keep Lake Mead above the minimum gen gen gen- generating elevation of 1083 feet during the critical low flow winS win winSter ter season Providing the runoff keeps pace with the forecast the reservoir would be raised to about elevation with wat wat- wat water er content of feet acre during July and August Navajo Reservoir stood at ole ole- elevation feet on January I 1 with feet acre of water in storage by April l 1 to keep the April through July runoff from flooding work in progress on the diversion tunnel inlet for the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project Pro Pro- Project By the latter part of May the reservoir level will rise rap rap- Idly rapIdly to feet acre again granting that the forecast run run- runoff runoff off materializes materializes- and will re- re remain re- re remain main above that level during the summer months LAKE MEAD dropped below I its rated operating head last spring when It was decided to toWI WI fill Lake Powell to its minimum power pool so that generation at atthe atthe the Glen Canyon could begin on schedule last September Three g generating units are now in operation at atGlen atGlen Glen Canyon and a fourth is scheduled to go on the line be be- be before fore the spring runoff begins These four can pass up to cubic feet of water per second to the river below An April through July runoff of 9 million feet acre would be bethe bethe the first average above water yield from the Colorado River watershed In 3 years It would exceed the time long average by feet acre and would be 35 million feet acre more the runoff for the same period last year and 57 million feet acre greater than the near record low of 1963 This years year's spring runoff forecast indicates a total runoff of about mil mil mil- million lion feet acre for 1965 |