Navajo Reservoir – Releases from Navajo Reservoir are currently 500 cfs and inflows are approximately 2,000cfs. The reservoir elevation is 6461 feet above sea level and 79% of capacity. Diversions for NIIP are currently approximately 650cfs. Basin snowpack peaked on March 9th, approximately four weeks early, at 83% of average. Current snowpack above Navajo Reservoir is 15% of average. Unregulated inflow into Navajo Reservoir during the month of April was 149,000 acre-feet, or 87 % of average.
To view the most current reservoir elevation, content, inflow and release, click on: Navajo Reservoir Data.
A 7-day spring peak release of 5,000 cfs is scheduled to begin on or after May 21st, with a ramp up and down over 3 days. At the end of the peak release period, the release is scheduled to return to 500 cfs. The goal of the Navajo spring peak release is to match the timing of the peak of the Animas River in Farmington. Releases are made for the authorized purposes of the Navajo Unit, and to attempt to maintain a target flows through the endangered fish critical habitat reach of the San Juan River (Farmington to Lake Powell). The San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program recommends a target base flow of between 500 cfs and 1,000 cfs through the critical habitat area. The target base flow is calculated as the weekly average of gauged flows throughout the critical habitat area, therefore daily flows of less than 500 cfs may occur at some gages.
The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center and Natural Resources Conservation Service have issued the May coordinated forecast for inflows to Navajo during the April to July 2012 runoff season. As conditions become drier, the forecast continues to decrease. Unregulated inflows are forecasted to be 345 kaf, or 47% of average. The May forecast decreased by 14% since the April official forecast. Unregulated inflows over the next three months are forecasted by the River Forecast Center to be: 128 kaf (46%), 58 kaf (26%) and 10 kaf (15%) for May, June and July, respectively.
A public meeting on Navajo Reservoir operations was held on Wednesday, April 24, 2012 in Farmington, New Mexico. At this meeting, a review of this winter’s reservoir operations and plans for this spring and summer operations were discussed. The public meetings are open forum discussions on the operation of Navajo Reservoir with many interested groups participating. Anyone interested in the general operation of the reservoir is encouraged to attend. Please contact Ryan Christianson in Reclamation's Durango, Colorado Office at (970) 385-6590 for information about these meetings or the daily operation of Navajo Reservoir. To view minutes from the last Navajo Operations Meeting, click on: Meeting Notes.
Katrina Grantz
Updated May 9, 2012
Email comments/inquires to: ResourceMgr@usbr.gov