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<br />
<br />year average of 96,032, Heron fell short of filling by about 3,000 AF. The reservoir
<br />began the year at elevation 7169,11 ft, (308,142 AF) and reached a minimum
<br />elevation of 7164.57 ft (285,596 AF) on March 18 and 19, It reached a maximum
<br />elevation of 7185,59 ft (398,328 AF) on September 7. Heron Reservoir ended the
<br />year at elevation 7182,42 ft (379,936 AF). The February 2000 combined forecast for
<br />San Juan Basin is 32% of the 30 year average, Based on this forecast it is unlikely
<br />that Heron Reservoir will fill, for the fifth straight year, Reclamation Will maximize
<br />diversions as water becomes available in 2000,
<br />
<br />The SJ-C contractors 1 999 annual allocations were delivered as shown in table 4
<br />(page 4), for a total delivery in 1999 of 38,180 AF, The remaining 58,020 AF is being
<br />held in Heron according to waivers that grant an extension of the delivery date from
<br />December 31, 1999, to April 30, 2000, Reclamation has leased 20,670 AF of the
<br />remaining 1999 allocation left in Heron Reservoir, This water is leased from willing
<br />SJ-C contractors to supplement the middle valley water supply while working
<br />cooperatively with the Middle Rio Grand Conservancy District (MRGCD) to make like
<br />amounts of native flow available in the river for other uses.
<br />
<br />EI Vade Reservoir
<br />The May 1, 1 999 combined forecast showed winter snow pack, and precipitation for
<br />the reporting period for the Rio Chama Basin well above average~ The winter started
<br />out with well below average snow pack and precipitation, but this all changed in April
<br />when precipitation for the month came in .at 243 percent of average. These conditions
<br />produced runoff into EI Vado of 86 percent of the 30 year average for 1999, EI Vado
<br />did fill in 1999, reaching a maximum elevation of 6900.02 ft (179,913 AF) on June
<br />9, The maximum natural storage was 96,451 AF on June 9. The minimum elevation
<br />was 6872,85 ft (106,193 AF), and occurred on January 1. EI Vado Reservoir ended
<br />the year at an elevation of 6886,34 ft(139,480 AF), Asummary of EI Vado Reservoir
<br />operations can be found on page 22, and the accounting of SJ-C water by entity is on
<br />page 21,
<br />
<br />The State of New Mexico began 1 999 'With a credit, per the Rio Grande Compact,
<br />which allowed for a portion of the total Rio Grande inflow into EI Vado to be captured
<br />during spring runoff to benefit the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, The total
<br />SJ-C water in storage at the end of the year was 57,31 9 AF,
<br />
<br />The MRGCD used a total of 6,284 AF of their SJ-C water for .irrigation, In addition,
<br />the MRGCD paid back a total of 28,417 AF of SJ-C water borrowed from both the
<br />City of Albuquerque and City of Santa Fe in past irrigation seasons, In shared and
<br />coordinated compliance with the Endangered Species Act and Federal Agencies,
<br />MRGCD managed diversions to maintain sufficient flows in the Rio Grande Floodway.
<br />Reclamation received and or purchased from various SJ-C contractors 19,485 AF of
<br />
<br />ii
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