04-18-2008, 01:46 PM
[cool][#0000ff]An article in the Tribune [url "http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8969121"]LINK TO ARTICLE[/url] this morning projected that Lake Powell would rise at least 50 feet from this year's runoff.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you roll out your sleeping bag on the beach, make sure it is high enough that you don't float away during the night.[/#0000ff]
Spring runoff to boost Lake Powell level
Reservoir will be up 50 feet, but more than usual will be released
[url "mailto:phenetz@sltrib.com?subject=Salt Lake Tribune: Spring runoff to boost Lake Powell level"][#000000]By Patty Henetz
The Salt Lake Tribune[/#000000][/url]
Article Last Updated: 04/18/2008 06:26:15 AM MDT
Easy come, easy go.
Spring runoff into Lake Powell should be about 120 percent of average, raising the lake's level 50 feet this summer, a Utah water official said Wednesday.
But because a November agreement between Colorado River states for managing water shortages also manages water surpluses, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says about 700,000 acre-feet more than usual will be released downstream from Lake Powell into Lake Mead.
"I bring you good news today," Utah Division of Water Resources director Dennis Strong told lawmakers during a meeting of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment interim committee.
Precipitation and snowpack from the Oct. 1 start of the water year is mostly at or above average across the state, Strong said. As of April 1, statewide basin reservoir storage was 60 percent of average and expected to reach 80 percent of normal with the runoff - even though Bear Lake will be about one-third full.
Weather and water experts are watching conditions for possible flooding. Strong cautioned the legislators that because it has been so long since spring runoff hit average, "normal runoff could look like a flood."
Under the Colorado Compact, 8.3 million acre-feet of water must pass through Lee's Ferry every year, or 83 million acre-feet during a 10-year period. The water serves California, Arizona and Nevada.
Last fall, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne signed an interim agreement good through 2025 that aims to keep the West's two largest storage reservoirs roughly equal.
The Bureau of Reclamation estimates a release of 653,000 acre feet from Powell to Mead, though that amount can be adjusted if runoff and river flows merit.
The total 8.8 million acre-feet estimate includes water released during a 60-hour experiment that aimed to restore beaches and habitat downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
An acre-foot of water is enough for two Nevada or Arizona average households and enough for one household in Utah, where per-capita water use is higher than those in neighboring states.
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you roll out your sleeping bag on the beach, make sure it is high enough that you don't float away during the night.[/#0000ff]
Spring runoff to boost Lake Powell level
Reservoir will be up 50 feet, but more than usual will be released
[url "mailto:phenetz@sltrib.com?subject=Salt Lake Tribune: Spring runoff to boost Lake Powell level"][#000000]By Patty Henetz
The Salt Lake Tribune[/#000000][/url]
Article Last Updated: 04/18/2008 06:26:15 AM MDT
Easy come, easy go.
Spring runoff into Lake Powell should be about 120 percent of average, raising the lake's level 50 feet this summer, a Utah water official said Wednesday.
But because a November agreement between Colorado River states for managing water shortages also manages water surpluses, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says about 700,000 acre-feet more than usual will be released downstream from Lake Powell into Lake Mead.
"I bring you good news today," Utah Division of Water Resources director Dennis Strong told lawmakers during a meeting of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment interim committee.
Precipitation and snowpack from the Oct. 1 start of the water year is mostly at or above average across the state, Strong said. As of April 1, statewide basin reservoir storage was 60 percent of average and expected to reach 80 percent of normal with the runoff - even though Bear Lake will be about one-third full.
Weather and water experts are watching conditions for possible flooding. Strong cautioned the legislators that because it has been so long since spring runoff hit average, "normal runoff could look like a flood."
Under the Colorado Compact, 8.3 million acre-feet of water must pass through Lee's Ferry every year, or 83 million acre-feet during a 10-year period. The water serves California, Arizona and Nevada.
Last fall, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne signed an interim agreement good through 2025 that aims to keep the West's two largest storage reservoirs roughly equal.
The Bureau of Reclamation estimates a release of 653,000 acre feet from Powell to Mead, though that amount can be adjusted if runoff and river flows merit.
The total 8.8 million acre-feet estimate includes water released during a 60-hour experiment that aimed to restore beaches and habitat downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
An acre-foot of water is enough for two Nevada or Arizona average households and enough for one household in Utah, where per-capita water use is higher than those in neighboring states.