MCPHEE RESERVOIR WATER YEAR 2012 OPERATING PLAN
"This data is provisional and subject to change due to Dolores River inflow, future precipitation, weather patterns, managed release criteria and user demand."
McPhee 2012 Releases
(Updated Thursday May
3, 2012)
NO 2012 BOATABLE
RELEASES EXPECTED
No Fish Survey Flows
5/3/12: Continued dry warm weather led to a new
forecast revision downward by 4,000 AF to 138,000 for April - July. No significant precipitation in the near term
forecast. The Upper Dolores is still
running and expected to hold through most of May, then dropping significantly.
4/27/12: April has continued the warm and dry
trend. Peak flows may be coming in right
now, peaking around 1,500 CFS last few days.
Irrigation still low, but expected to climb. New forecast next week expected to decrease,
so no managed release (Spill) is expected.
McPhee still not expected to fill. Only releases below McPhee
will come from Fish Pool Allocation.
Releases will run 50 CFS through May, then up to 70 CFS for June &
July, then decreasing through the fall. One 200+ CFS day of releases around October 1 for fish stocking.
4/5/12: Although the March 1 forecast looked
promising based on February snow, the month of March turned dry with negligible
precipitation. The warm weather and lost
snow forced the April 1 forecast to drop by 90,000 AF. Runoff really picked up over the last two
weeks, flows above Dolores are running above 800 CFS. The snowpack is down to 40% and will not last
long and is not expected to fill McPhee
Reservoir. Natural flows downriver at Slickrock may have peaked due to lack of lower snowpack and
early warm weather.
This late in the season it is difficult to expect much change. No new storms are shown in the forecast.
McPhee releases are currently scheduled at
50 CFS for April, 60 CFS in May and 70 CFS in June.
|
DATE |
RES. ELEV. Full = 6924 |
AMOUNT Left to Fill (AF) |
DAILY INFLOW (CFS) |
DAILY Irrigation OUTFLOW (CFS) |
Release Below McPhee
(CFS) |
CURRENT FORECAST (AF) |
APR – JUL Inflow To Date (AF) |
|
4/5/12 |
6906.98 |
73,000 |
1,311 |
80 |
50 |
150,000 |
10,000 |
|
4/27/12 |
6913.62 |
44,000 |
1,328 |
403 |
50 |
142,000 |
42,000 |
|
5/3/12 |
6914.95 |
39,000 |
905 |
654 |
50 |
138,000 |
55,000 |
You
can also call 970-882-2164, x5, Ken if you have questions or #1 for the control
room for current conditions.
Dolores
Gage below McPhee:
http://www.dwr.state.co.us/SurfaceWater/data/detail_graph.aspx?ID=DOLBMCCO&MTYPE=DISCHRG
Dolores Gage at Dolores: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09166500
Slickrock
Gage: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09168730
Gage at Bedrock: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09169500
Gage near Bedrock: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09171100
DWR Gages Division 7: http://www.dwr.state.co.us/SurfaceWater/data/division.aspx?div=7
DWR Gages Division 4: http://www.dwr.state.co.us/SurfaceWater/data/division.aspx?div=4
You can create your own “My Stations” on the DWR website to monitor all desired gages at once.
The most current releases are available at Division of Water Resources site, Dolores gage below McPhee, http://www.dwr.state.co.us. See more rafting detailed recommendations from our local Public Lands office at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/sjplc/recreation/sjdolores.html.
NOTE: Release estimates are approximate and updates will be made available based on emerging weather conditions, in-flow rates and reservoir levels. Future weekly updates will be available at this site.
For
additional information about rafting on the