The Bureau of Reclamation has prepared the February snowmelt runoff forecasts and operating plans for the North Platte River Basin.
The February forecasts indicate the spring snowmelt runoff will be below average. Total April through July runoff in the North Platte River Basin above Glendo Dam is expected to 820,000 acre-feet (af), which is 90% of the 30-year average.
The total conservation storage capacity of the North Platte Reservoir System is approximately 2,815,800 af. As of January 31, 2022, the combined storage content in the North Platte Reservoirs was 1,386,700 af, which is 86% of the 30-year average.
Current releases are 530 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Seminoe Reservoir through the Miracle Mile. Releases out of Gray Reef Reservoir are 450 cfs. Releases out of Glendo Reservoir are 0 cfs. Guernsey is bypassing natural flows to accommodate the construction work being done on the Intake Gate. Based on current projections for the months of May, June, and July, the releases out of Seminoe Reservoir are expected to peak at around 2,000 cfs, while flows out of Gray Reef are expected to be in the range of approximately 2,000 to 2,500 cfs. Peak releases from Guernsey will be up to about 5,000 cfs. Pathfinder Reservoir is not expected to spill this spring. Based on our current forecast, an allocation is not expected for our North Platte Project contractors.
Reclamation’s Wyoming Area Office operates seven reservoirs on the North Platte River with Seminoe Reservoir farthest upstream and Guernsey Reservoir farthest downstream. This system provides irrigation supply to hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and produces power generation from 6 powerplants which supply power to tens of thousands of homes.
