CO river looks to have crested And going down at rifle CO. Hopefully LP still makes 3540+
The USBR's latest forecast for next spring indicates a low of about 3505 in March/April of 2023. We've pretty much hit the high for the year, which might creep up to 3539 (or 3540 if you're an optimist) before beginning a steady decline, which always happens from late summer through the following spring. The Bureau expects the lake to be at about 3525 on October 1, and just a hair under 3520 on January 1. The rate of decline through next spring will be pretty typical in terms of volume, but because the lake is pretty low, the same volume loss results in a slightly greater decline in surface elevation--hence, a 30-35 foot loss rather than the more usual 25-30 foot drop over the winter.
So another 10-15 feet below the low this year? I would expect a good portion of the Bullfrog buoys would be high and dry at that level. I'd guess the infrastructure of the marina needs at least ten feet of depth for clearance before it gets stuck in the mud - just guessing. Kind of an interesting problem here - not really a good way to get all of those buoy field houseboats out of the water when the level drops and the ramp becomes unusable again. I guess you would have to boat to Wahweep and take them out of the water there if there is no storage at Bullfrog or Halls? Hmm... I'm not optimistic. As far as the ramp at Bullfrog, they said it would be usable to 3525, so I don't think there is any question about it's usefulness at 3505 - none.The USBR's latest forecast for next spring indicates a low of about 3505 in March/April of 2023. We've pretty much hit the high for the year, which might creep up to 3539 (or 3540 if you're an optimist) before beginning a steady decline, which always happens from late summer through the following spring. The Bureau expects the lake to be at about 3525 on October 1, and just a hair under 3520 on January 1. The rate of decline through next spring will be pretty typical in terms of volume, but because the lake is pretty low, the same volume loss results in a slightly greater decline in surface elevation--hence, a 30-35 foot loss rather than the more usual 25-30 foot drop over the winter.
Then all will depend on the snowpack to see what happens next spring/summer.
As for Bullfrog access, others may know more, but I imagine they will still have the marina operational when it's at 3505, although I'm not sure what the status of launch ramps will be at that point. The NPS maintains this page that they update to discuss low water impacts to their facilities:
Changing Lake Levels - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)
Changing lake levelswww.nps.gov
I think you are probably on the right track here. I would expect a consolidation of Bullfrog and Halls soon. They really need to come up with a solution for reliable electricity at the North End of the Lake. I'm really surprised the state of Utah doesn't prioritize this as an infrastructure project. I would think that they would see the revenue potential of the upper end of the lake.
Meanwhile, the local representative wants to build a bridge from Bullfrog to Halls. Wouldn't a power line be easier and more valuable?
Dave I. could probably fill us in on details, but (as far as I know) the nearest grid power is in Hanksville, from Garkane Power. That's about 70 miles of transmission line to get to Bullfrog, add another 10 or so over to Halls Crossing.
