MILLS, Wyo – The Wyoming Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation in Mills, Wyo, has prepared the March snowmelt runoff forecasts and operating plans for the North Platte River Basin.
The March 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 715,000 acre-feet (af), which is 78 percent of the 30-year average.
As of February 28, storage content in the North Platte Reservoirs amounts to 2,125,352 af, which is 134 percent of the 30-year average. The total conservation storage capacity of the North Platte Reservoir System is approximately 2,815,800 af.
Current releases are 530 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Seminoe Reservoir through the Miracle Mile, 500 cfs from Gray Reef Reservoir, and 0 cfs from Guernsey Reservoir. Between March 12 and March 21, flows in the river below Gray Reef Dam will fluctuate from 500 cfs to 4000 cfs to improve trout reproduction in the river. That schedule may be modified depending on river ice conditions. Reclamation will update the inflow forecasts again in April and May.
