Laserfiche WebLink
RIO GRANDE BASIN January, 1999 <br /> .. Basinwide Conditions Assessment: <br /> The SWSI value of 1.5 indicates that for December the RIO GRANDE BASIN <br /> basin water supplies were slightly above normal. The Natural 5 surf...91t.r s p°'Y I "'story <br /> Resources Conservation Service reports January 1 snowpack 4_ <br /> is 105% of normal. Flow at the gaging station Rio Grande - } <br /> near Del Norte averaged 232 cfs, as compared to the long 3 r �` ' ` —� r <br /> term average of 188 cfs. The Conejos River near Mogote had 2- ; _` y.. . <br /> a mean flow of 50 cfs (96% of normal). Storage in Platoro, 1- w ; <br /> Rio Grande, and Santa Maria reservoirs totaled 116% of ° ' •' �� : .. <br /> x i'i� , M 111 ���normal as of the end of December. _1 i , , iii; <br /> Precipitation in Alamosa was 0.01 inches, 0.43 inches N = NI i� <br /> below normal. Temperatures ranged from -8° to 58° in a 2 % l <br /> Alamosa where the average monthly temperature was 23.6°, 3 <br /> 6.1° above normal. -4 <br /> JAN90 JAN91 JAN92 JAN93 JAN94 JAN95 JAN96 JAN97 JAN96 JAN99 <br /> Weather in the San Luis Valley this winter resembles ,e,r,1o„r„ <br /> the winter of 1995-96: sunny, dry,and one of the warmest on <br /> record. Low precipitation that winter led to a one-year <br /> drought in the upper Rio Grande basin. <br /> Outlook RIO GRANDE NP. DELNORTE <br /> Poor snowpack conditions are beginning to concern 150 FLOW BY WATER YEAR <br /> farmers, ranchers, and water officials. A glance at the 140 <br /> mountains surrounding the valley floor reveals little or no 130 f <br /> snow at the lower elevations and paltry conditions at the �g 120 <br /> S 110 <br /> higher elevations. What snow does exist has poor water t 1DD <br /> content. ,,-1 90 <br /> Above average reservoir levels may ease the concern W o BD <br /> TE <br /> for some water users. A majority of the basin's irrigators do '° <br /> 4 <br /> not receive releases of this upstream storage, but recreational 60 �� _ <br /> sD _.-r-------uses will benefit. • <br /> 40 �------- <br /> --------------- <br /> Administrative/Management Concerns 20 <br /> OCt Nov D•c Jan F•h <br /> Colorado exceeded its delivery requirement to the ,,°„T„ <br /> down stream states of New Mexico and Texas for the calendar ° WET ° °RY"""' A AVG " 1999 <br /> year 1998. This delivery requirement is based upon indexed <br /> flow at the Rio Grande near Del Norte and the Conejos near <br /> Mogote gaging stations. Colorado has met its compact <br /> delivery requirement in each year since 1967. Excess water REPRESENTATIVE RESERVOIRS <br /> delivered into New Mexico is held as credit water in Elephant 22 GRANDE BASIN <br /> Butte Reservoir and can be used in following years to offset 20_ <br /> Colorado's delivery requirement. 19_ i <br /> Forty new applications were filed in Water Court i 16- <br /> during 1998. Absent from this list was the planned i 14—,/ <br /> application of Stockman's Water Company for up to 150,000 ai 12 <br /> acre-feet per year of ground water. /5 2 1°_",/:/\\\\ <br /> • B <br /> Public Use Impacts 1 B___/\ <br /> The mild temperatures and low wind conditions have 4_/\ <br /> made the San Luis Valley a rather pleasant place to live 2 <br /> recently. However, snow related activities are suffering. a - /\ /\ Z\ <br /> Rio Grentl• Pinter* SentnlAnr l• <br /> I Av0. 12/31 Co Monts ® 12/31/98 Content• <br /> 5 <br />