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<br />RIO GRANDE BASIN <br /> <br />Basinwide Conditions Assessment <br />The SWSI value of 3.1 indieates that for February <br />the basin water supplies were above normal. The Natural <br />Resourees Conservation Serviee reports that Mareh 1 <br />snowpaek is 147% of normal. Flow at the gaging station Rio <br />Grande near Del Norte averaged 197 efs (99% of normal). <br />The Conejos River near Mogote had a mean flow of 52 cfs <br />(101% of normal). Flow to the state line was 118% of normal. <br />Storage in Platoro, Rio Grande, and Santa Maria reservoirs <br />totaled 75% of normal as of the end of February. <br />The Valley floor experienced a warm, yet wet month <br />as the average temperature in Alamosa was nearly five <br />degrees above normal. Preeipitation was above normal. <br /> <br />Outlook <br />At the elose of February, snowpaek in the Rio Grande <br />basin was outstanding. Basinwide, the snowpaek was right <br />around 150%, but skewed by high snowpaek at the upper Rio <br />Grande sites. The Sangre De Cristo Range, the Saguaehe <br />Creek drainage and the southem San Juan Mountains are in <br />the 120 to 140% of normal range. Water administrators hope <br />that with the two snowiest months yet to eome, snowpaek will <br />remain abDve normal. A high runoff eould begin to heal the <br />basin from the past three to five year drought. <br />Stream flow forecasts are ealling for significantly above <br />average runoff this year. Carryover storage in the basin <br />reservoirs was generally poor, but some of the expeeted high <br />runoff should go into reservoir storage. <br /> <br />Administrative/Manaaement Coneerns <br />The annual meeting of the Rio Grande Compaet <br />Commission will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Mareh 31, 2005 at <br />Morgan Hall in Santa Fe, NM. The publie is invited to attend. <br />Colorado met its Rio Grande Compaet delivery obligation to the <br />downstream states of New Mexico and Texas during 2004. <br />The important issues of the Rio Grande basin in the three states <br />inelude endangered speeies proteetion (Rio Grande Silvery <br />Minnow and the Southwestern Willow Flycateher), prior and <br />paramount Native Ameriean water rights administration, and <br />low reservoir storage. <br /> <br />Publie Use ImDaets <br />Winter sports enthusiasts reliant on snow eover <br />enjoyed another month of above-average snowfall. For the <br />first time in ten years, there is some eoneern about loealized <br />flooding in the basin, partieularly if weather eonditions foree a <br />sudden runoff peak. <br /> <br />Mar-OS <br /> <br />-"""" <br /> <br />> <br />" <br />o <br /> <br /> <br />, <br />~ <br /> <br />w <br />o <br />" <br />~ . <br />~ <br />. <br /> <br />4 <br />.In-96 JInQl -..00 JIn.9!I JIn.OO ..M>01 Jon..ll2 ..IirHl3 JIn.04 ..-.0; <br />-,"'" <br /> <br />RO GWa r-R 1Elr-.K:Rl'E. FLM BY MTffi YEAA <br /> <br />"",OOJ <br /> <br />_""OOJ <br />. <br />. <br />~ <br />I> <br />Ii 1m,OOJ <br />S' <br />o <br />it 150,00) <br />w <br />> <br />F' <br />:5 100,00:> <br />::> <br />" <br />::> <br />(J 00,00:> <br /> <br /> <br />o <br />Oct <br /> <br />"" <br /> <br />Doc <br /> <br />..., <br /> <br />"'" <br /> <br />""'" <br /> <br />Ppil <br /> <br />-e--V\ET(1937) <br /> <br />-+-lRY(2Xl2) <br /> <br />~AVG <br /> <br />-;<-2005 <br /> <br />REFR:SENT ATl\oE Fe:iERvORS <br /> <br />"',<XX! <br /> <br /> <br />16,<XX! <br /> <br />16,<XX! <br /> <br />'i 14,0XI <br /> <br />~,a<XX! <br />. <br />" <br />~ 10,OCO <br />B <br />~ 8,<:00 <br />:0 <br />~ 6,COO <br /> <br />_,<XX! <br /> <br />a<XX! <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />RoGmde <br /> <br />R"ao <br /> <br />""- <br /> <br />IA\g. Cflflfj Ca1Imts <br /> <br />002l2ll'00"""'" <br /> <br />5 <br />