Average snowpack/precipitation and average inflow
- Thread starter Trix
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i see more rain in the PNW and northern CA and the forecast looks interesting for the next few weeks too! all welcome news. let's hope it pans out... 
every one of these bumps has to be worth a few hundred thousand acre feet to those folks out west, but also it keeps the soil moisture levels up to improve runoff. nothing wrong with any of that IMO.
every one of these bumps has to be worth a few hundred thousand acre feet to those folks out west, but also it keeps the soil moisture levels up to improve runoff. nothing wrong with any of that IMO. It feels like we're getting a blast of hot, dry, windy weather in the southwest, and the snowpack is reacting accordingly: http://graphs.water-data.com/ucsnowpack/. It will be interesting to see if the snowpack decline shows up in the Lake Powell inflow numbers.
There is an inch of rain forecast for Salt Lake late this week, but I don't see that same moisture hitting Grand Junction or Eagle. It looks like a more northerly storm, which should help the Wind River Range and the runoff into Flaming Gorge.
There is an inch of rain forecast for Salt Lake late this week, but I don't see that same moisture hitting Grand Junction or Eagle. It looks like a more northerly storm, which should help the Wind River Range and the runoff into Flaming Gorge.
Mildog
Well-Known Member
Interesting information.
Im
Not a tik toker but had a video sent to me that did a breakdown on Powell water situation.
In a nutshell his “theory” is we have a water use problem as much or more than a water problem
Armchair engineer on tiktok
I think you can find it from this if interested!
Im
Not a tik toker but had a video sent to me that did a breakdown on Powell water situation.
In a nutshell his “theory” is we have a water use problem as much or more than a water problem
Armchair engineer on tiktok
I think you can find it from this if interested!
Hmm... From:
"On April 8th, Assistant Secretary Trujillo formally informed the Colorado River Basin States that the Bureau of Reclamation would like to make a mid-year correction to the operation of Glen Canyon Dam, reducing this year’s annual release from 7.48 maf to 7.0 maf. This action coupled with additional releases from upstream reservoirs is deemed necessary to help prevent Lake Powell from falling below the minimum power elevation. Clearly, if aridification continues, more proactive measures will be needed including revisiting the issue of how annual releases are managed considering what basin insiders refer to as the Lower Basin “bonus water”."
*makes popcorn*
Time to rethink the Upper Basin’s “Bonus Water” contributions to Lake Mead? - jfleck at inkstain
By Eric Kuhn For years, the Colorado River management community has ignored, or at the very least sidestepped, a problem that has effectively sent more Upper Basin water downstream to help fill Lake Mead. But with the reservoir system operating on razor-thin margins, this “bonus water” – seeping...
www.inkstain.net
"On April 8th, Assistant Secretary Trujillo formally informed the Colorado River Basin States that the Bureau of Reclamation would like to make a mid-year correction to the operation of Glen Canyon Dam, reducing this year’s annual release from 7.48 maf to 7.0 maf. This action coupled with additional releases from upstream reservoirs is deemed necessary to help prevent Lake Powell from falling below the minimum power elevation. Clearly, if aridification continues, more proactive measures will be needed including revisiting the issue of how annual releases are managed considering what basin insiders refer to as the Lower Basin “bonus water”."
*makes popcorn*
Tomorrow is the end of comment period. Not sure a decision like this would be taken in a matter of days (we are talking about govt here) Also point out 480,000 MAF is a drop in the bucket (might mean saving a foot of lake level). It’s 7% less than the planned release down to Mead…big deal
JFRCalifornia
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Well, I agree 480,000 AF isn't a huge amount in the big picture, but it means more than just a foot of rise on the lake--more like 7 feet, all other things being equal.
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So you’re saying that if 480 were magically dumped into the lake all in one night, water levels would jump 7 feet? Or stated another way….if releases are 480 less over the course of next 12 months, whatever water level we print next April will be 7 feet higher than it would have been without taking this action?
JFRCalifornia
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Yes.
JFRCalifornia
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
good catch... earlier post now edited...
JFRCalifornia
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Don't get too optimistic yet. My guess is that the extra 480K AF will be held back in Powell later in the summer, when it will make the most difference to keeping the lake up. The planned 500K AF release from Flaming Gorge starting May 1 would potentially add up to another 7 feet. Assuming those two concepts converge, I could see a rise into the neighborhood of 3545 or so by July (mostly from the Flaming Gorge release added to expected runoff), then having the lake level hold up a little better into late summer by holding back releases through Glen Canyon Dam as planned... might keep the lake at 3535 on October 1...and another 7+ feet from Gov. Cox's declaration and them sending more water from Flaming Gorge.
does that put us in the range of a 35ft increase this season if we get a decent run off? i'm doing my rain dance - i hope it doesn't scare off the fish.
But I'm not about to bet the farm on that one yet... but it is a rough back of the napkin guess that's worth about 5 bucks in a wager...
POk3s
Well-Known Member
I just want to know who’s asleep at the wheel in reporting the water data for both flaming gorge and lake Powell. Maybe they’re on vacation and fishing . Im not near the math wiz some of you are, but I do like to see green numbers when I suspect there should be green numbers…
. Im not near the math wiz some of you are, but I do like to see green numbers when I suspect there should be green numbers…It's not my site (water-data.com), but the USBoR source data site was down for maintenance for a while over the weekend and/or earlier this week. If you really need to get a fix, you can download the CSV data for lake levels from https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/hydrodata/reservoir_data/919/csv/49.csv and scroll to the very bottom, or get it directly from the gauge at LAKE POWELL AT GLEN CANYON DAM, AZ. Note that the gauge seems to read a little lower than the USBoR data, and has a bit of variation.I just want to know who’s asleep at the wheel in reporting the water data for both flaming gorge and lake Powell. Maybe they’re on vacation and fishing
The last number in the CSV file 3,522.47 on 4/20/2022.
Of those two sources, one is real-time-ish, the other is a once-a-day snapshot around midnight. The water-data site takes numbers from the latter via automated retrieval (when the BoR site is running properly). Just remember, much like WW, it's a largely voluntary service performed out of love for the natural resources and a desire to provide a service to like-minded (and some other) interested individuals.
I really have to wonder if Sec. Trujillo can make hold back stick? I hope so but doubt it?Hmm... From:
Time to rethink the Upper Basin’s “Bonus Water” contributions to Lake Mead? - jfleck at inkstain
By Eric Kuhn For years, the Colorado River management community has ignored, or at the very least sidestepped, a problem that has effectively sent more Upper Basin water downstream to help fill Lake Mead. But with the reservoir system operating on razor-thin margins, this “bonus water” – seeping...www.inkstain.net
"On April 8th, Assistant Secretary Trujillo formally informed the Colorado River Basin States that the Bureau of Reclamation would like to make a mid-year correction to the operation of Glen Canyon Dam, reducing this year’s annual release from 7.48 maf to 7.0 maf. This action coupled with additional releases from upstream reservoirs is deemed necessary to help prevent Lake Powell from falling below the minimum power elevation. Clearly, if aridification continues, more proactive measures will be needed including revisiting the issue of how annual releases are managed considering what basin insiders refer to as the Lower Basin “bonus water”."
*makes popcorn*
Looked at Lake Meads level it's dropping like a rock. Every day the drop for that date is much more than the drop for the same date over the past 10 years. Even 2021. Simply looking at the graph will show a steeper decline than the last 5 years. Again, 2021 included.
POk3s
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the reminder. I really didn’t know it was a volunteer deal. I thought that surely it was somebody’s job to update the list. Looks like it is…just not on that site. Thank you!Of those two sources, one is real-time-ish, the other is a once-a-day snapshot around midnight. The water-data site takes numbers from the latter via automated retrieval (when the BoR site is running properly). Just remember, much like WW, it's a largely voluntary service performed out of love for the natural resources and a desire to provide a service to like-minded (and some other) interested individuals.
POk3s
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the links!
either way they are making a big wish which i hope is fulfilled, but it is also a risk. tough spot to be in no matter which choice you make IMO.
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