BOARD02469

• Board Meeting Date: 7/18/2005
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

CRWCD 2004 Annual Report Now Available: Thisl6-page annual report discusses the
progress, priorities and financial status of the Colorado River District in 2004. The
16MB report is available on the CRWCD web page at www.cJ\vcds.\!ov

Upper Colorado River Basin Inflows: With the beginning of the new water year on
October 1,2004, the Upper Colorado River Basin has now completed five consecutive
years of drought, which began in October 1999. With precipitation in October, November
and December of 1999 at only 30 percent of average, the stage was set for the first year
of low runoff which occurred in 2000.

Inflow to Lake Powell provides a useful barometer of drought conditions in the Colorado
River Basin. In the late 1990's, inflow to Lake Powell was above average and the lake
stayed full from 1995 through 1999. As late as September 1999, Lake Powell was still 95
percent fulL Inflow into Lake Powell from water years 2000 through 2004 has been about
half of what is considered average. The 2002 inflow was the lowest ever recorded since
Lake Powell began filling in 1963.

Int10w into Lake Powell

Lake Powell reached a low elevation on April 8, 2005 at 3,555.1 feet (144.9 feet from full
pool), with reservoir storage at 33 percent of live capacity. However, hydrologic
conditions have improved over the past nine months in the Colorado River Basin due to
above average precipitation since September 2004. Snowpack in the Upper Colorado
River Basin ranged from average to moderately above average throughout the winter of
2004-2005 and precipitation has also been above average. Rains during the fall of 2004
helped reduce soil moisture deficits caused by the drought and river flows responded to
the rains with increased flows. November 2004 was the first month with above average
inflow to Lake Powell since September 1999.

Snowmelt runoff began in April 2005 with inflow to Lake Powell increasing significantly
in mid-ApriL Cooler and wetter than average weather conditions in the basin during the
latter part of April and first part of May delayed the snowmelt somewhat and added
additional mountain snow at higher elevations. Hot and dry conditions during the latter
half of May 2005 triggered very rapid melting of the snow in the Colorado River Basin.
Some streamflow gages in the Upper Colorado River Basin broke records for late May
daily flows. Inflow to Lake Powell reached a peak of 77,000 cfs on may 28, 2005, a level
not seen since 1997. Cooler temperatures have moved into the basin since the end of May
and persisted through the early part of June, decreasing river flows.

As of June 3, 2005, inflow to Lake Powell is currently 62,000 cfs and is decreasing.
Ele.vation of Lake Powell is 3,589 feet (Ill feet from full pool), and it is rising by almost
one foot per day (although this rate will decrease to about a half a foot per day by mid-
June). Current Lake Powell storage is 10.7 million acre-feet (44 percent of live capacity).

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