WSP00641

• File Number: 8272.100.60
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 3/1/1990
• Author: CRBSCF
• Title: 1989 Annual Progress Report - Water Quality Standards for Salinity - Colorado River System - March 1990
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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TABLE 1
Natural Flow at Lee Ferry
(1,000 Acre-feet)

Water Year

Flow

1973
1974
1975
1976
197-7
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988

19,435
13,307
16,150
10,723
5,023
14,660
17,337
16,935
7,433*
16,126*
23,140*
24,100* .
20,400*
21,100*
16,600*
11,200*

*Provisiona1

The natural flow for 1977 at Lee Ferry of 5.023 maf was the
driest year on record for the period 1906-1988, and 1984,
with a flow of 24.100 maf, was the wettest. The period 1983
through 1986 was a period of significantly above-normal
runoff. Each of those four years had a natural flow in
excess of 20 million acre-feet, with a four year average of
22.2 million acre-feet. Only once before, in 1920 and 1921,
did 20 million acre-feet of natural flow occur for two or
more consecutive years and only one other period (1920-1923)
had an average natural flow exceeding 20 million acre-feet
(20.4 million).

preliminary data indicates that natural flow at Lee
Ferry for 1989 will be about 53 percent of normal.

Storage Changes

Upper and Lower Basin reservoir storage has increased
since 1972 as shown on Figure 1. Basinwide storage at the
end of calendar year 1988 was about 13.3 million acre-feet
greater than at the end of 1972. Of the total increase, 9.0
million acre-feet was in the Upper Basin and 4.3 million
acre-feet was in the Lower Basin. The 1988 end of calendar
year storage in the Colorado River System was about 2,670,000
acre-feet less than the 1987 value.

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