FONTENELLE
Inflows to Fontenelle Reservoir are currently averaging 800 cfs and releases are 1,000 cfs. The reservoir elevation is 6494.5 feet above sea level and is at 75% of capacity. The reservoir elevation is declining and will continue to decline through the winter months until spring runoff.
To view the most current reservoir elevation, content, inflow and release, click on: Fontenelle Reservoir Data
Annual maintenance at Fontenelle dam is scheduled for October 26 to December 12, 2009. During this time water will be released from the dam, but will bypass the powerplant. Releases from the dam were decreased from 1,200 cfs to 1,000 cfs in mid-September to conserve water that will be released later in winter after the powerplant is back on-line. The flow decrease was made prior to the actual maintenance work to ensure a constant streamflow during the critical fish spawning period in the Upper Green. It is anticipated that releases will be increased to 1,140 cfs in late November or early December, before the ice is set on the river and depending on observed inflows.
Inflows for the month of October were 48,000 acre-feet, or 93% of average. Inflows over the next three months are forecasted to be near average: 42,000 acre-ft, 33,000 acre-ft, and 31,000 acre-ft for November, December and January, respectively.
Snow accumulation for the 2010 season has started out above average and is currently 133% of average. Click on Basin Snowpack Information to view a recent graph of the 2010 season's cumulative snowpack at the 13 snotel sites above Fontenelle Reservoir. (Note that these snotel sites are below 10,000 ft.)
Click on pictures to view Fontenelle Reservoir and the Wind River Mountains on June 20, 2009.
The next Fontenelle Working Group meeting is scheduled for April 27, 2010 at 10:00 am at the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge visitor's center. The Fontenelle Working Group is an open public forum for information exchange between Reclamation and other parties associated with the operation of Fontenelle Reservoir. For more information about the Fontenelle Working Group, contact Ed Vidmar at 801-379-1182.
Notes from the August 2009 Working Group meeting at Green River have been posted to the working group web pages.
Updated November 6, 2009
Katrina Grantz
Email comments/inquires to: ResourceMgr@usbr.gov