Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Diversions for the month totaled 33,527 acre-feet, much higher than the 30-year average of <br />22,210 acre-feet. August precipitation was, once again, above average. A total of 2.3 inches of rain <br />were reported for the watershed. The reservoir inflow was also high at 145 percent of the 30-year <br />o average. <br />o <br />..- <br />c.:::l Reservoir inflow in September continued to be higher than average, at 126 percent, while precipitation <br />CJI dropped to 86 percent of the 1965-1995 average. The Adams Tunnel diversions totaled 20,953 acre-feet <br />N for the month, which was 125 percent of average. <br /> <br />No water was pumped into Lake Granby via Windy Gap Pumping Plant during the 1998 water year. . <br /> <br />Lake Granby ended the water year with 495,533 acre-feet in storage. This storage was 81,863 acre-feet <br />above the 30-year average, and 37,000 acre-feet lower than the previous year. <br /> <br />Adams Tunnel diversions totaled 201,500 acre-feet for the water year. These diversions were <br />26,990 acre-feet below the 30-year average. <br /> <br />Lake Estes <br /> <br />Completed in 1949, Lake Estes (on the Big Thompson River) provides regulating capacity for power <br />purposes. The lake has a total capacity of 3,100 acre-feet and controls the discharge of Estes Power <br />Plant, river inflow, river outflow, and releases of water to the Foothills Power System via Olympus <br />Tunnel (550 ft3/s capacity). The Estes Power Plant contains three units with a total installed capacity of <br />45 megawatts, with combined release capability of 1,300 fe/so The spillway, located on the right <br />abutment, has five radial gates with a total release capability of 21 ,200 fe Is. The center gate has been <br />automated and is controllable from the Loveland Control Center. <br /> <br />During the winter, project water is diverted through Adams and Olympus Tunnels and routed through the <br />Foothills Power System on its journey to terminal storage in Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir. <br /> <br />The October-January precipitation over the Big Thompson River Basin above Lake Estes is normally <br />low. Water year 1998 was not an exception. Lake Estes reported a: total precipitation of 3.86 inches, or <br />111 percent of the 30-year average. Precipitation for the month of January was 0.98 inches, or 153 <br />percent of the 30-year average. The inflow into Lake Estes for this period October-January was well <br />above average at 288 percent. The February 1 snowpack water content measurement was <br />94 percent of average, which resulted in an April-July low most probable runoff forecast volume of <br />70,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />Precipitation over the Big Thompson River Basin above Lake. Estes in February dropped to <br />91 percent of the 30-year average for the month. The percent of inflow from the 30-year average for the <br />month increased to 257. Inflow for the month March was also relatively high, at 140 percent of average. <br />Precipitation over the Lake Estes watershed rebounded in March with 2.70 inches. That total is 203 <br />percent of the 30-year average. Despite the high precipitation reports for the area for the previous two <br />months, April 1 snowpack water content was very low at 72 percent of average. Due to the low <br />snowpack water content, The April-July most probable runoff forecast volume was only 60,000 acre- <br />feet. <br /> <br />12 <br />