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<br />RIO GRANDE BASIN
<br />
<br />Basinwide Conditions Assessment
<br />The SWSI value of -2,7 indicates that for December
<br />the basin water supplies were below normal. The Natural
<br />Resources Conservation Service reports that January 1
<br />snowpack is 34% of normal. Flow at the gaging station Rio
<br />Grande near Del Norte was 193 cfs (93% of normal) The
<br />Conejos River near Mogote had a mean flow of 45 cfs (86%
<br />of normal), Storage in Platoro, Rio Grande, and Santa Maria
<br />reservoirs totaled 91 % of normal as of the end of December,
<br />Alamosa received only 0,04 inches of precipitation
<br />during December, 0,29 inches below normal. Alamosa's total
<br />precipitation of 7,96 inches during 2005 was 0,7 inches above
<br />the annual average,
<br />This has been the eighth consecutive December the
<br />average annual temperature was well above normal,
<br />2005 stared out with a bang of snowfall in January
<br />resulting in an unusually high runoff from April through early
<br />July, However, as soon as the stream flow became more
<br />dependent on rainfall and less on snow melt, poor precipitation
<br />during the summer months cut off the abundant runoff and
<br />stream flow in area creeks and rivers dropped to levels
<br />reminiscent of 2000 and 2002.
<br />
<br />Outlook
<br />Stream flow in the basin should be slightly below
<br />average for the next few months due to the recent dry spell. If
<br />the present trend continues, the stream flow forecast could be
<br />very bleak, Due to the extremely poor snowpack, current
<br />N RCS forecasts for the 2006 runoff are generally 60 to 80
<br />percent of normal for key streams In the Upper Rio Grande
<br />Basin. The exception to this is Saguache Creek, where the
<br />forecast is for normal runoff in 2006,
<br />
<br />Administrative/Manaoement Concerns
<br />Pursuant to the Rio Grande Compact Colorado
<br />delivered approximately 448,000 acre,feet to New Mexico and
<br />Texas during 2005. The delivery obligation was approximately
<br />445,000 acre,feet resulting in a small delivery credit for 2006,
<br />Bolstered by a generous early runoff, the Rio Grande
<br />and its tributaries generated about 795,000 acre,feet through
<br />the gage near Del Norte during 2005, The long,term average
<br />is 650,000 acre,feet. Although the total was above normal, it
<br />fell short of NRCS forecasts and resulted in difficulty
<br />administering water rights for Compact delivery requirements,
<br />The Conejos River and its tributaries also experienced
<br />a plentiful runoff, Indexed flow on the Conejos River near
<br />Mogote totaled 294,000 acre,feet in 2005, compared to an
<br />average of 240,000 acre,feet.
<br />Closed Basin Project delivery to the Rio Grande
<br />totaled about 10,700 acre,feet. Approximately 100 acre,feet of
<br />Project canal deliveries did not meet water quality standards,
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