Show Colorado river runoff of average The April through July runoff from th the Colorado River watershed above Lake Pow Powell Is expected to to to- reach 98 million feet acre-feet or percent of the longtime average th the Bureau of Reclamation announced last week TIIE TIlE FORECAST is based on the water content on April 1 l of sixty-four sixty snow courses within the watershed area It presumes normal precipitation for the remainder of the runoff season Lake Powell will rise from its present elevation feet to about feet above mean sealevel sea sea sealevel level Releases from Glen Canyon Dam from April to September 1975 will be 56 million feet acre-feet with a water year total for 1975 of 93 million acre Lake Powell should remain above elevation feel feet through the summer months and then drop slowly during the fall and winter The lake elevation prior to the 1 1976 76 spring runoff should be about elevation feet and have an active content of million acre The waters of Lake Powell expect to reach a depth of 21 feet in the channel beneath Rainbow Bridge by the end of summer 1975 The National Park Service says boaters wishing to visit Rainbow Bridge may moor their boats at a courtesy dock near the boundary of the National Monument and then c complete the visit by foot To o preserve the serenity of the natural environment in the vicinity of the Bridge boats willbe will willbe willbe be allowed to proceed not farther up the channel than the courtesy dock even though the water will rise to higher elevations this season ABOUT 13 MILLION acre- acre feet of runoff should originate on the Oreen Green River watershed above Flaming Gorge Dam or percent of normal Of this amount feet acre-feet willbe willbe will willbe be stored in Fontenelle Reservoir If the above Flaming Gorge Dam is realized the reservoir should fill to elevation feet above mean sea level which is its maximum storage level with a ac c content of MAP by August 1975 1995 Blue Mesa Reservoir is expected expected expected ex ex- ex- ex to receive about feet acre-feet of inflow or percent of the longtime average The lake would therefore fill to elevation above with a usable content of acre Morrow Point Reservoir immediately immediately immediately im im- im- im mediately downstream from Blue Mesa Meta Dam should remain near full at feet acre throughout the year On the San Juan River Navajo Lake should receive a runoff equal to percent of nonna normal Releases from the lake are being increased to 2000 cubic feet on April 15 With the foot acre-foot mean forecast and the 2000 c release the lake level rise to elevation feet above mean sea level which will willbe willbe willbe be within 18 vertical feet of being full LAKE MEADS MEAD'S present elevation is 1177 feet ms or about 3 feet higher than a year ago The reservoir is now 44 feet below the top of the raised spillway gates at Dam At present it contains million feet acre-feet of available storage or cr 75 percent of its capacity Based on the present forecast Lake Mead is expect to decline to about elevation 1173 feet above ms by the end of May and then rise to about elevation 1181 feet fet above ms by the end of September |