The Bureau of Reclamation has prepared the May snowmelt runoff forecasts and operating plans for the North Platte River Basin.
The May 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 545,000 acre-feet (af), which is 72% of the 30-year average.
The total conservation storage capacity of the North Platte Reservoir System is approximately 2,815,800 af. As of April 30, 2022, the combined storage content in the North Platte Reservoirs was 1,600,700 af, which is 88% of the 30-year average.
Current releases are 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Seminoe Reservoir through the Miracle Mile. Releases out of Gray Reef Reservoir are 500 cfs. Releases out of Glendo Reservoir are 500 cfs. Guernsey releases will begin May 14 and will vary depending on downstream requirements. Based on current projections for the months of May, June, and July, the releases out of Seminoe Reservoir are expected to peak at around 1,500 cfs, while flows out of Gray Reef are expected to be maintained at 500 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 forecasts, 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.
Original source can be found here.
