Natrona County: Reclamation Issues Snowmelt Forecasts For North Platte River Basin

Casper WY

18 April, 2022

8:20 PM

Description

Press release from Natrona County: April 18, 2022 The April 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 565,000 acre-feet (af), which is 62% of the 30-year average. The total conservation storage capacity of the North Platte Reservoir System is approximately 2,815,800 af. As of March 31, 2022, the combined storage content in the North Platte Reservoirs was approximately 1,481,500 af, which is 87% 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 25 cfs. Guernsey gates are closed, and Guernsey is storing all inflows. Based on current projections for the months of May, June, and July, the releases out of Seminoe Reservoir are expected to peak at around 1,000 cfs, while flows out of Gray Reef are expected to peak at approximately 3,000 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, an allocation is expected for our North Platte Project contractors. Additional Info... This press release was produced by Natrona County. The views expressed here are the author's own.