Colorado State Basin Outlook Report

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State Basin Outlook Reports (1) - The values listed under the 10% and 90% Chance of Exceeding are actually 5% and 95% exceedance levels. (2) - The value is natural volume - actual volume may be affected by upstream water management. ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN Reservoir Storage (1 000AF) End of December Usable ********** Usable Storage ********* Reservoir ----------------------------- ---------------- - Capacity ---------- This Year -------------- Last Year ---------------- Average ----------- - ----------- ADOBE ---------- 62.0 -------------- 31.0 ---------------- 15.8 ----------- 23.4 CLEAR CREEK 11.4 2.3 7.7 5.9 CUCHARAS RESERVOIR 40.0 0.0 0.0 4.8 GREAT PLAINS 150.0 0.0 0.0 32.2 HOLBROOK 7.0 0.9 2.1 3.0 HORSE CREEK 27.0 0.0 0.0 8.4 JOHN MARTIN 616.0 41.1 30.6 108.7 LAKE HENRY 8.0 5.1 5.4 3.7 MEREDITH 42.0 25.5 11.6 13.6 PUEBLO 354.0 191.8 138.9 144.0 TRINIDAD 167.0 21.6 20.3 24.2 TURQUOISE 127.0 83.6 98.5 87.9 TWIN LAKES ----------------------------- ----------------------------- 86.0 ---------- ---------- 63.5 -------------- -------------- 56.2 ---------------- ---------------- 46.3 ----------- ----------- -------------------- -------------------- ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN Watershed ----------------------------- Snowpack Analysis - ------------------- January 1, 2008 ------------------ -------------- ----------------------------- ------------------- Number of ------------------ This Year as -------------- Percent of Watershed ----------------------------- Data Sites ------------------- Last Year ------------------ Average -------------- ----------------------------- UPPER ARKANSAS BASIN ------------------- 3 ------------------ 98 -------------- 118 CUCHARAS & HUERFANO RIVER BA 2 118 164 PURGATOZRE RIVER BASIN 2 108 156 TOTAL ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN ----------------------------- ----------------------------- 6 ------------------- ------------------- 112 ------------------ ------------------ 141 -------------- -------------- ? UPPER RIO GRANDE BASIN as of January 1, 2008 Although being early in the water year, there was reason for concern in the Upper Rio Grande River Basin as precipitation levels were creeping below those not seen since 2002. According to data from 10 Snotel sites, the basin as a whole only received 59% of its average October precipitation, and when November received merely 54$ of its November precipitation, all rain and snow producing processes seemed to be on vacation. Enter December, providing 296% of average precipitation and rescuing the basin from a potentially disastrous situation. Very heavy snows early in December brought precipitation in the Rio Grande from near record lows to near record highs and landed the year to date precipitation at 132% of average as of January 1. Snowpack in the basin has followed a similar pattern, tracking right below the meager snow levels of 2002 until December, when it jumped right up to the near record highs of 1997, and landed at 137% of average as of January 1. This January saw the highest snow levels since 1997, when the snowpack was at 138% of average on January 1. Based on reports from six reservoirs, reservoir storage in the Rio Grande River Basin is at 95$ of average. Not surprisingly, all streams in the Rio Grande Basin are expected to produce above average April through September streamflows. Volume should range between 109% of average on Saguache Creek near Saguache to 133;s of average on the South Fork of the Rio Grande at South Fork. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPPER RIO GRANDE BASIN Streamflow Forecasts - January 1, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 11 of 15 http://www.wcc.nres.usda.gov/cgibin/bor2.p1?state=co&year=2008&month=l&format=text 4/14/2008