9542

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9542
• Author: Upper Colorado River Commission.
• Title: Fifty-Sixth Annual Report of the Upper Colorado River Commission.
• USFW Year: 2004.
• USFW - Doc Type: Salt Lake City, UT.
• Copyright Material: NO

3. Summary of Reservoir levels and Contents

Runoff6 during the year ending September 30, 2004 ranged from 57 percent of
the long term (1 923-2002) mean at the Colorado River Station near Cisco,
Utah to 68 percent of the long term (1928-2002) San Juan River station near
Bluff, Utah. The volumes of runoff at these stations were 2,693.400 acre-feet
and 1,029,000 acre-feet respectively. Runoff at the Green River station near
Green River, Utah totaled 2,073,700 acre-feet, which was 68 percent of the
long term (1906-2002) mean.

Lake Powell's lowest elevation of the 2004 water year occurred on September
22, 2004 when the reservoir level was at elevation 3,570.65 feet (live content
of 9,159,710 acre-feet). Lake Powell was at its highest point on October 1,
2003 at elevation 3,603.72 feet with a content of 12,108,559 acre-feet. A
total of 8,335,000 acre-feet was released to the river below Glen Canyon Dam
during the 2004 water year. The 1995-2004 (10-year) delivery to the Lower
Basin (measured at Lee Ferry) was 102,512 acre-feet.

Lake Mead, on September 30, 2003, contained 15,618,000 acre-feee of
available storage water at elevation 1,142.07 feet. On September 30, 2004,
the live storage of Lake Mead was 13,937,000 acre-feet (elev. 1,125.86 ft.)
which is 4,768,000 acre-feet greater than the storage in Lake Powell.

Table 1 on page 10 shows the Statistical Data for Principal Reservoirs in the
Upper Colorado River Basin. Table 2 on page 11 provides the same
information for the Lower Colorado River Basin reservoirs.

The results of the long-range reservoir operation procedures adopted by the
Secretary of the Interior for Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge, Fontenelle, Navajo,
and Blue Mesa reservoirs in the Upper Colorado River Basin and for Lake Mead
in the Lower Basin are illustrated on pages 13 through 20 for the 2004 water
year.

In water year 2004, there was no equalization of storage as dictated by
Section 602(a) of Public Law 90-537. The drawdown of Lake Powell was
governed by factors other than the equalization criteria.

6 Based on provisional records subject to revision.

7 Adjusted for the change in storage in Colorado River Storage Project
Reservoirs.

8 Based on April 1, 1967 Capacity Table revised according to Sedimentation
Survey 1963-1964.

10