"DROUGHT WATCH ON THE RIO GRANDE"
February 10, 2005 Press
Release
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Rio Grande Supply Forecast Leaps to a Full
Supply for 2005
After many years of drought conditions and two years of severe cut-backs in
river water supplies, the early February projection by the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation's El Paso Field Office indicates a possibility for a full water
supply for Rio Grande Project water users in 2005. A much greater than
average snow pack in the upper Rio Grande basin and record breaking rains in
the lower elevations have resulted in almost doubling January's 53% water
supply projection for the year. Snow pack conditions in much of the upper
Rio Grande basin mountains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado
range from 110% to 155% of average for this time of year. The Bureau of
Reclamation's supply projection is based on the assumption that these
conditions will continue through the remainder of the winter season. It is
still early in the year. Projections and actual water supply are subject to
many factors such as changes in weather patterns, the amount of water kept
in up-stream storage, evaporation and division of water under interstate
Compact rules for the Rio Grande.
As of February 8, the combined amount of water in storage in Elephant Butte
and Caballo Reservoirs is 12.6% of capacity or about 280,065 acre feet out
of a total capacity of over 2.2 million acre feet. The amount of water
available (allocated) to users is currently 20.01% of a full supply.
Allocations are based on the amount of water actually in the reservoir.
Reservoir releases for the 2005 irrigation season are scheduled to begin in
early March. The exact date depends on the irrigation needs of Elephant
Butte Irrigation District, El Paso County Water Improvement District #1, and
Mexico District #009 agricultural producers, precipitation in the upper
basin and on the inflows to the reservoir. Until then, the sources of river
flow from Caballo Reservoir, NM to below El Paso, TX are from local
precipitation, agricultural ground water and urban return flows.
This month the Rio Grande Project will turn 100 years old. The Rio Grande
Reclamation Project was authorized by the United States Congress on February
25, 1905. This authorization was for construction of Engle Dam, now known as
Elephant Butte Dam and an irrigation system to irrigate 188,000 acres of
land in southern New Mexico, west Texas to Fort Quitman and also lands in
Mexico and provide protection against flooding. Bureau of Reclamation
Commissioner John Keys will be the keynote speaker at a function to
celebrate this historical event on February 25, 2005.
PRESS RELEASE AND GRAPH ATTACHED
"Drought Watch on the Rio Grande" is provided by the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, El Paso Agricultural Research and
Extension Center in collaboration with the United States Bureau of
Reclamation El Paso Field Office and USDA-CSREES Rio Grande Basin
Initiative. Updates of Drought Watch are issued as conditions change.
Ari M. Michelsen, Center Director
Agriculture Research and Extension Center, El Paso
TAES, Texas A&M University
a-michelsen@tamu.edu
915-859-9111
Filiberto Cortez, Division Manager
El Paso Field Office
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
fcortez@uc.usbr.gov
915-534-6300 |
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