The US Bureau of Reclamation presented their North Platte River water update and forecast of water operations for the 2016 season at a recent meeting at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff.

Water operations and deliveries are expected to be normal for the 2016 growing season with an expected demand of 1.1 million acre-feet.  Total North Platte River system storage of the Wyoming reservoirs as of April 4, 2016 is 2.16 million acre-feet of water, with a forecasted supply of 1.67 million acre-feet.  The April 1 expected/forecasted runoff (snowmelt) for the reservoirs above Glendo reservoir is 890,000 acre-feet of water.  Expected total North Platte River system storage in the Wyoming reservoirs at the end of the growing season in September 2016 is 1.9 million acre-feet of water.  This expected carryover of water is higher than the 2015 carryover.  Snowpack on the Upper Platte and Lower Platte basins at this time is 100% of normal. 

The Bureau also reported on dam and hydroelectric power plant maintenance that has been completed on Seminoe and Kortes dams.  The main spillway gate maintenance at Guernsey dam is scheduled to start October 2016.  Recreation management agreements have also been extended for areas around the reservoirs.

The next Bureau of Reclamation update will be in the fall of 2016 in Torrington, Wyo. 

Resources

For more information on the North Platte River Surface Irrigation Projects and Power Generation, view the slideshare presentation found on the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension web page at http://panhandle.unl.edu/.  Bureau of Reclamation water operations information can be found on their website at http://www.usbr.gov/gp/wyao/index.html .