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, , I lIDrnffl&OO'ij'[ij]rnllj'ij' @W 'ii'lJ()rn O~'ii'rnOORI:CEI ViED INFORMATION SERViCE APR 2 ~ 1953 EUREl,U OF RECL;\}:r,TIOI! eoto'", '),-., CO.....f9 a .~ Arfl;' qn..~O For Relecse SUNDJ.Y, ;J'RIL 191 1953 RECLI:!1ATION RESERVOIRS F1JPJlISH 1952 FLOOD '1ATERS Fl'R 1953 CROPS IN 1lHRSTY WESTERN STATES Last year's fl~od waters stored In Federal Reclamation reservoirs in 17 Western States will, with s~me exceptions principally in the Southwest, provide enoueh ....ater to adequately cElrry irrigated fann projects through this sum:ner I 5 grow- ing season, despite below-normal snowing and a~ticlpated runoff frem most western streams this spring, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay announced today. At the s@lle time, the Secretary pointed out that heavy snowfalls in Colorado end Utah es.rly 1n April might materially improve the vater supply situation 1n those States. Secretary YJcKay, summarizing the April 1 yater report of the Bureau of Recla- mation, pointed out that last year at this time floods 'Were under way in the Missouri River Basin and high runoff was expected in the Colorado River Basin, the Great Basin, and parts of the Columbia RivGr Basin. This year high 'Water is not expected at any point in the West. The runoff in the Colunb1a River Basin Is expected to be normal or slightly less t.han nomal a.fter five years of above-normal runoff. In the Central \olley of California, the Sacrumento River is expected to produce normal or slightly abovo-noma! runoff, 'While that of the San Joaquin River ~ill be considerably less than nonnal. However, ~~e report explains I in goneral, because of the high runoff nf last yeur, storage is adequate to c~rry projects thrcugh this summer. This 1s particu- larly true of the Salt River Project in Arizona Yhere, despite low runoff to the rese~voirs this season, the stored water supply is adequate. Arizona, New ~ex1co, western Texas and '.lea tern Oklahoma are potential drought areas in the western water supply picture, the report indicates. The runoff to the res€rvoirs of the Rio Grande project in New ~exic~ and Texes is expected to be less than Ie pe~cent of normal, and a year very much like the very bad drought year ~f 1951 is expected. The tresent ....ater supply for the Rio Grande project will not be adequate this yea~ and the Carlsbad end Tucumcari prajects in New ~exlco will be short of water. The ....ater stored in all of the reservoirs ~f the W. C. Austin pr~j- ect in Oklahoma is reserved for t~e use of ~unicipalities and, at this time, ne ....ster is available for irrigation. Ho....ever, surn.:ner run"ff pre-vides a considerable portion of the '.Inter supply of this project. I~ this, it differs from most ~f the pr.::Jjects in the "lest ....here runoff is dependent upon the melt frC'::1 winter snowst.ol'InS. Runoff frem the Rocky ~:~unteins \.'"111 be beloW" normal, 81 th,...ugh not as dangerously Stt as in ~~e Rio Gr~~de Easin. A region-by-region summary ~f the Whter s~FFly situation, as of April 1, follo....s: