The Bureau of Reclamation has prepared the March snowmelt runoff forecasts and operating plans for the North Platte River Basin.
The March 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 be 710,000 acre-feet (af), which is 78% of the 30-year average.
The total conservation storage capacity of the North Platte Reservoir System is approximately 2,815,800 af. As of February 28, 2022, the combined storage content in the North Platte Reservoirs was 1,415,400 af, which is 85% 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 1,300 cfs, while flows out of Gray Reef are expected to be maintained at 450 cfs until June when they will increase to approximately 2,000 cfs. Releases from Guernsey are expected to peak near 4,800 cfs. Pathfinder Reservoir is not expected to spill this spring. Based on our current forecast, there may be a need for an allocation 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.
