BOARD00109

• Board Meeting Date: 3/26/2003
• Description: State Engineer's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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RIO GRANDE BASIN

i Basinwide Conditions Assessment
The SWSI value of -1.0 indicates that for February
the basin water supplies were below normal. The Natural
Resources Conservation Service reports that March 1
snowpack is 73% of normal. Flow at the gaging station Rio
Grande near Del Norte was 116 cfs (59% of normal), as
compared to the long-term average of 183 cfs. The Conejos
River near Mogote had a mean flow of 32 cfs (62% of
normal). Flow that the state line was 64% of normal.
Storage in Platoro, Rio Grande, and Santa Maria reservoirs
totaled 89% of normal as of the end of February.
Further proof of the lingering effects of the drought is
seen in the poor winter-time stream flows.
Temperatures during February were again above
normal in the San Luis Valley. A1amosa received 0.28 inches
of precipitation during the month, 0.07 inches above normal.
The San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains received
generous amounts of snowfall the last ten days of the month.

Outlook
Although snowpack conditions improved slightly during
February, the upper Rio Grande basin continues to carry well
below normal snowpack for this time of year. In many areas of
the basin, the snow depth is near normal, but the snow is very
dry, holding only two-thirds of the normal water content.
However, with the two snowiest months yet to come, there is
still hope the snowpack can approach average levels.
Recent NRCS stream flow forecasts are calling for well
below average conditions in the entire upper Rio Grande basin
this year. Expected runoff in the Rio Grande near Del Norte is
just 59 percent of normal and only 66 percent of average for
the Conejos near Mogote.

Administrative I Manaoement Concerns
The annual meeting of the Rio Grande Compact
Commission will be held at the Hilton Inn - EI Paso Airport on
March 27, 2003. The public is invited to attend.
The Division Engineer has received early calls for
irrigation water on some of the tributaries. Diversions from the
Rio Grande are expected to begin around the middle of March.

Mar-03

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Public Use Impact
Winter sports enthusiasts and concerned water users 2;,000
had a reason to be optimistic as the month came to a close.

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1110212&'03 Cata1ls

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