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<br />INTERMOUNTAIN WEST CLIMATE SUMMARY, JUNE 2006
<br />
<br />Reservoir Status
<br />
<br />Source: Denver Water, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Natural Resources Conservation
<br />Service, and Central Utah Water Conservancy District
<br />
<br />This month we have made a change in the way that the
<br />average storage is calculated: Storage as a percent of aver-
<br />age is no\:v compared to the 1971-2000 average storage for
<br />Lake Po\:vell, Blue Mesa, Fontenelle, and Flaming Gorge, as
<br />calculated by the NRCS (http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/
<br />wsf/reservoir/resv _rpt.html), instead of computing averages
<br />based on the longer period of record of the reservoir.
<br />In June, reservoirs are usually filling, and the storage
<br />compared to average represents a balance of inflows for
<br />the season forecasted by the NOAA River Forecast Centers
<br />and the NRCS, the goal of filling the reservoir, and the need
<br />to preserve space for flood control in case of rapid inflows
<br />from warming or spring storms. For example, According
<br />to the USBR in Grand Junction, in April 2006, Blue Mesa
<br />reservoir, part of the Aspinall Unit on the Gunnison River in
<br />Colorado, was predicted to fill, although inflow forecasts had
<br />dropped over the spring. But in early June, the Gunnison
<br />River was producing slightly higher than average runoff.
<br />On June 12th, \:vith 160,000 AF of inflows still forecast and
<br />the reservoir within two feet of filling, USBR managers
<br />increased releases from the Aspinall Unit in order to preserve
<br />capacity in the reservoirs for flood control if needed.
<br />
<br />
<br />According to the USBR in Salt Lake City, inflow projections
<br />to Lake Powell have been reduced in response to warm and dry
<br />spring conditions in the Colorado River Basin, and it is now al-
<br />most a certainty that inflow to Lake Powell will be below average
<br />in 2006.
<br />The inflow forecast, issued June 5th by the NWS/Colorado
<br />Basin River Forecast Center, projects April through July unregu-
<br />lated inflo\:v to Lake Powell to be 5.9 million acre-feet, 74% of
<br />average. Inflow forecasts earlier in the year \:vere significantly
<br />higher (the April inflow forecast projected Lake Powell is 97%
<br />of average). Lake Powell storage was 51 % percent of capacity in
<br />early June, an effect of multiple years of low inflo\:v.
<br />
<br />Notes
<br />The size of each "tea-cup" in Figure 5 is proportional to the size
<br />of the reservoir, as is the amount the tea-cup is filled. The first
<br />percentage shown in the table is the current contents divided by
<br />the total capacity. The second percentage shown is the percent of
<br />average water in the reservoir for this time of year. Reservoir status
<br />is updated at different times for individual reservoirs, so see the
<br />websites below for the most recent information.
<br />
<br /> Current Total
<br /> Water Capacity ok of
<br />Reservoir (KAF) (KAF) 0/0 Full Average
<br />Colorado
<br />Blue Mesa Res. 755.1 829.5 91% 146%
<br />Lake Dill on 250.8 254.0 99% 110%
<br />Lake Granby 393.0 539.7 73% 115%
<br />Turquiose Lake 100.1 129.4 77% 124%
<br />Utah
<br />Bear Lake 467.5 1,302.0 36% 57%
<br />Lake Powell 12,297.4 24,322.0 51% 63%
<br />Stravvberry Res. 921.0 1,106.5 83% 131%
<br />Utah Lake 950.8 870.9 109% 105%
<br />Wyoming
<br />Boysen Res. 548.7 741.6 74% 108%
<br />Buffalo Bill Res. 559.0 644.1 87% 167%
<br />Flaming Gorge Res. 3,009.7 3,749.0 80% 99%
<br />Fontenelle Res. 260.7 344.8 76% 143%
<br />Seminoe Res. 460.8 1,017.3 45% 76%
<br />KAF = Thousands of Acre Feet
<br />
<br />Figure 5. Tea-cup diagram of several large reservoirs in the Intermountain West Region.
<br />All reservoir content data is from between April 30 and May 4, 2006.
<br />
<br />On the Web
<br />- Lake Dillon, operated by Denver Water: http://www.water.denver.co.gov/indexmain.html.
<br />- Turquoise Lake, Boysen Reservoir, Seminoe Reservoir, and Buffalo Bill Reservoir operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
<br />Great Plains Region: http://www.usbr.gov/gp/hydromet/teacup_form.cfm.
<br />- Lake Granby is part of the Colorado-Big Thompson project, operated by Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
<br />and the USBR Great Plains Region: http://www.ncwcd.org/datareports/data_reports/cbt_wir.pdf.
<br />_ Blue Mesa Reservoir, Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and Fontenelle Reservoir operated by the USBR _ Upper
<br />Colorado Region: http://www.usbr.gov/uc/wcao/water/basin/tc_cr.html.
<br />- Strawberry Reservoir, operated by the Central Utah Water Conservancy District: http://www.cuwcd.com/operations/currentdata.htm.
<br />- Utah Lake, operated by the Utah Division of Water Rights, and Bear Lake, operated by Utah Power: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/
<br />resv _rpt. pl?state=utah
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<br />RECENT CONDITIONS I 8
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