WSP00672

• File Number: 822.600.10
• Description: Colorado River Annual Operating Plan - Annual Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/1/1993
• Author: USDOI/BOR
• Title: Annual Operating Plan
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

I
I
I
I
I
J
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

Totals

3

storage elevations. The resulting operation will benefit all authorized project purposes at
each of the reservoirs.

1992 OPERATIONS SUMMARY AND RESERVOm STATUS

Water year 1992 can be characterized by a wide variation in water supply conditions
within the basin. Basinwide precipitation during 1992 was almost 90 percent of average
with tributary river basin precipitation ranging from 60 to 150 percent of the 25 year
average. Although precipitation was nearly normal basinwide, it did not translate into
normal snowpack or runoff. In early fall of 1991, snowpack levels were well above
average throughout the basin. As the snow accumulation season continued, a pattern of
southerly storms developed. This left the northern portion of the basin with extremely
low snowpack levels, and the southern portion of the basin with slightly above normal
levels. These factors combined to produce a near record low runoff in the Green River,
lower decile runoff in the Gunnison Basin and into Lake Powell, and slightly above
average runoff in the San Juan Basin.

Reservoir.

Fontenelle
Flaming Gorge
Blue Mesa
Navajo
Lake Powell
Lake Mead
Lake Mohave
Lake Havasu

Table 1
Expected Reservoir Conditions
as of October 1, 1992
Vacant Live Percent of Change in Change in
Space Storage Capacity Storage' Elevation'
(1,000 AF) (1,000 AF) (percent) (1,000 AF) (feet)
132 213 62 -112 -15.6
620 3,129 83 -262 -6.9
227 602 73 -98 -12.0
167 1,529 90 -57 -4.0
10,055 14,267 59 -432 -3.0
6,514 19,363 75 +130 +1.0
385 1,371 78 -200 -7.8
62 557 90 +1 0.0

18,162

41,031

69

-1,030

. from October 1, 1991, to September 30, 1992