A 10-day whitewater release from McPhee Dam into the Lower Dolores River will end this week, but another release may come in mid-June, according to reservoir managers.
The pause in the spill is a response to lower-than-predicted inflows at McPhee Reservoir because of cold weather. The initial release was done to accommodate boaters during the Memorial Day weekend.
Based on current inflow forecasts, there is a 70 percent chance of an additional release for whitewater boating, according to the Dolores Water Conservancy District.
An estimated time for the second release is between June 9 and June 16, though that release is subject to updated forecasts and has not been confirmed.
There is still significant snowpack in the mountains.
“When we get into some more predictable sunny weather and river inflows increase, which usually happens in June, we should be able to continue spilling any excess water,” stated Eric Sprague, an engineer technician with the water district.
The reservoir needs 240,000 acre-feet of water to fill, and by May 22, it had received 190,000 acre-feet. An estimated 160,000 to 190,000 acre-feet of snowmelt remains in the high mountains, but it is difficult to predict when and how much of it will reach McPhee.
The weather forecast for Dolores shows 10 days of temperatures in the mid-70s beginning June 1.
The Dolores Water Conservancy District’s top priority is to fill McPhee, and runoff forecasts show the Dolores Basin snowpack, which reached 144 percent of normal this winter, is more than enough to fill it. Excess supply is then carefully managed for boating and fish habitat below the dam.
Reader Comments