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RIO GRANDE BASIN <br /> Basinwide Conditions Assessment: <br /> The SWSI value of +0.8 indicates that for March the P I O GRANDE BASIN <br /> eit*water <br /> basin water supplies were slightly above normal. The S '"'' Supply '"°"`" <br /> istery <br /> National Weather Service reports precipitation for March at ,_ . <br /> 151% of average. A wet snowfall on March 4 brought the - 1. <br /> precipitation to well above average on the valley floor. The 3_ . j ' 1: . <br /> Soil Conservation Service reports April 1 snowpack at 94%of :g- <br /> . 1 . . <br /> :.i ,it <br /> average. This average is skewed by the high snowpack on the f , •- --~ <br /> Sangre de Cristo range which is 148% of average. The 1 0 '- �' lEil 11 i _ " <br /> headwaters of the Rio Grande in the San Juans has a � <br /> snowpack of around 85% of average. Reservoir storage ' <br /> a _2 <br /> measured on April 1 was 94%of average. Flow at the gaging a <br /> station, Rio Grande near Del Norte, averaged 237 cfs for the 3" 1 <br /> month as compared to the 1961-1991 March average of 250 -• . -- --- -- -- <br /> .LN93 .1 N9• JANOS JABS JAW JANOS JANOS JAN90 JAN91 JAN92 <br /> cfs. The Conejos near Mogote averaged 65 cfs. The San Luis YEAR/IAN1H <br /> Valley experienced below normal temperatures during the first <br /> half of March and then a warming trend in the second half of - <br /> the month which brought the average monthly temperature to <br /> only 2 decrees below normal. Alamosa recorded the coldest <br /> winter on record this year RIO GRANDE NR. DELNORTE <br /> FLOW 9M WATER YEAR <br /> 170 r <br /> 160 <br /> Outlook <br /> 150 - <br /> '__.---------jr--------<gl <br /> Flows for the rivers and streams originating in the San 140 - <br /> Juan Mountains, west range, are forecasted to be slightly ;o <br /> below normal. Even so, a large percentage of the Rio Grande t n 110 <br /> Compact deliveries on the Rio Grande and Conejos will be o <br /> made early this year due to the high runoff from the valley 21 .° . <br /> floor,which will enable the users to use more of the runoff for `s --� /r <br /> irrigation. Due to the high snowpack in the Sangre de Cristo 1 <br /> Mountains,east range, there is a possibility of flooding on the <br /> Trinchera, Culebra, and Costilla Creek watersheds. If the 20 <br /> spring winds do not decrease the existing snowpack, it ?0 - 1 <br /> Oct Nev Ow Jan Feb 1Yreh <br /> appears that the irrigation demand can be met. Even so,the MONTH <br /> farmers may have a tough year since as of April 1 most of a YET C oRv 1077) O AVG A 16.2 <br /> them cannot get into their fields to prepare for the growing <br /> season because of saturated soils and mud. <br /> Administrative/Management Concerns REPRESENTATIVE RESERVOIRS <br /> WIMPS <br /> Stream flows went from lightly below normal during 21 R'° "" <br /> the first part of March to normal and above at the end of the 9- <br /> month. Valley floor snowmelt caused lower basin flows to be <br /> above average,with Alamosa experiencing flood problems i s ://- <br /> welldue to hi h flows on Rock Creek at the end of the month. <br /> A 13 <br /> g <br /> The Rio Grande at Lobatos,which is the lower index gage in a.I 12 <br /> the basin, varied from 290 cfs on March 1 to 1050 cfs on 'o"1: <br /> , <br /> March 31, averaging 625 cfs over the month. These increases �" ', <br /> were again due to valley floor snowmelt. 3 s /\,//A:\ /A <br /> 2" Z\ z-N. <br /> R10 o-•nd. •I.t..° S•ntdrrl• <br /> ® Avg 3/31 c0nt•nt■ ® 3131/!2 content* <br /> 5 <br />