Difference between revisions of "Hydrology"

USBR Weekly Water Reports

• Upper Colorado Region Weekly Hydrology Summary
• Colorado River Basin Tea-Cup Diagrams
• Lower Colorado Water Supply Report
• Lower Colorado River Water Accounting
• Annual Operating Plans for Colorado River reservoirs

USBR Monthly/Annual Reports

• 24-Month Study
• Monthly Summaries
• Annual Operating Plans

Snow Pack Reports

• Bureau of Reclamation- Snow Pack Report
• Upper Colorado Region Snow Pack Conditions Map
• SNOWTEL Report
  • The snowtel report is a calculating report, and takes approximately 3 minutes to run.
  • Select the report under "Public", listed as "Colorado River above Lake Powell" (116 snowtel sites).
  • Data source is updated at least daily.

U.S. Drought Monitor

• U.S. Drought Monitor
• Tree Flow Data

• Lake Powell Water Level Graphs
• Glen Canyon Dam releases (SCADA)
• Colorado River at Lees Ferry
• Paria River near Kanab (US 89 bridge)
• Paria River at Lees Ferry
• Colorado River at 30 mile
• Colorado River above LCR
• LCR at Colorado River
• Colorado River at Bright Angel Creek
• Bright Angel Creek
• Shinumo Creek
• Colorado River abv Lava Canyon rm66
• Colorado River bl rm127
• Kanab Creek
• Havasu Creek
• Colorado River abv National Canyon
• Colorado River bl Diamond Creek
• Colorado River abv Spencer rm246
• Lake Mead Water Level Graphs

2016

• Basin Hydrology and Water Year (WY) 2017 Hydrograph
• Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2017 Hydrograph
• TWG: Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2017 Hydrograph
• AMWG: Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2017 Hydrograph
• Glen Canyon Dam Operations During Equalization

2015

• California Drought Monitor
• Lake Mead Issues and Lower Basin Shortage Preparedness
• Lake Mead Issues and Lower Basin Shortage Preparedness - Presentation
• Basin Hydrology Operations, and 2016 Hydrograph
• Basin Hydrology Operations, and 2016 Hydrograph
• 2016 Annual Operating Plan
• AMWG: Basin Hydrology and WY 2016 Hydrograph
• TWG: Hydrology Update and 2016 Hydrograph
• Water Quality in Lake Mead and Upstream Influences: Dissolved Oxygen during 2014
• Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2016 Hydrograph
• Hydrology Update and 2016 Hydrograph

2014

• Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2015 Hydrograph
• Proposed 2015 Hydrograph
• Basin Hydrology, Operations
• Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2015 Hydrograph and AIF: Development of Water Year 2015 Hydrograph
• Basin Hydrology, Operations, and 2015 Hydrograph

2013

• Colorado River Basin Hydrology and Projected Glen Canyon Dam Operations
• DOI/DOE FY14 Hydrograph
• Approved FY14 Hydrograph

Operational Flexibility

In addition to daily scheduled fluctuations for power generation, the instantaneous releases from Glen Canyon Dam may also fluctuate to provide 40 megawatts (mw) of system regulation. These instantaneous release adjustments stabilize the electrical generation and transmission system and translate to a range of about 1,200 cfs above or below the hourly scheduled release rate. Under system normal conditions, fluctuations for regulation are typically short lived and generally balance out over the hour with minimal or no noticeable impacts on downstream river flow conditions.

Releases from Glen Canyon Dam can also fluctuate beyond scheduled releases when called upon to respond to unscheduled power outages or power system emergencies. Depending on the severity of the system emergency, the response from Glen Canyon Dam can be significant, within the full range of the operating capacity of the power plant for as long as is necessary to maintain balance in the transmission system. Glen Canyon Dam typically maintains 30 mw (approximately 880 cfs) of generation capacity in reserve in order to respond to a system emergency even when generation rates are already high. System emergencies occur fairly infrequently and typically require small responses from Glen Canyon Dam. However, these responses can have a noticeable impact on the river downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.

Hydrologic Variability

The Upper Colorado River Basin regularly experiences significant year to year hydrologic variability. During the 16-year period 2000 to 2015, however, the unregulated inflow to Lake Powell, which is a good measure of hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River Basin, was above average in only 3 out of the past 16 years. The period 2000-2015 is the lowest 16-year period since the closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, with an average unregulated inflow of 8.51 maf, or 79% of the 30-year average (1981-2010). (For comparison, the 1981-2010 total water year average is 10.83 maf.) The unregulated inflow during the 2000-2015 period has ranged from a low of 2.64 maf (24 percent of average) in water year 2002 to a high of 15.97 maf (147 percent of average) in water year 2011. The water year 2015 unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell was 10.174 maf (94 percent of average), which, though still below average, was significantly higher than inflows observed in 2012 and 2013 (45% and 47 percent of average, respectively).