000 FGUS75 KABQ 071807 ESFABQ NMC001>061-302359- HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1230 PM MDT FRI APR 7 2006 WATER SUPPLY FORECAST NEWS RELEASE FOR NEW MEXICO THIS IS A COORDINATED RELEASE FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE USDA NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE. THE WATER SUPPLY FORECAST FOR NEW MEXICO THROUGH THE SPRING SNOW MELT SEASON CALLS FOR WELL BELOW NORMAL TO NEAR RECORD LOW RUNOFF. FORECAST FLOWS ON THE RIO GRANDE INCLUDE 35 PERCENT OF NORMAL INTO COCHITI LAKE AND 18 PERCENT OF NORMAL INTO ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE. OTHER FORECAST FLOWS INTO RESERVOIRS RANGE FROM 38 PERCENT OF NORMAL AT EL VADO LAKE TO 6 PERCENT OF NORMAL INTO JEMEZ CANYON RESERVOIR. INFLOW TO CONCHAS LAKE IS FORECAST TO BE 13 PERCENT OF NORMAL WHILE INFLOW TO SANTA ROSA LAKE IS EXPECTED TO BE 9 PERCENT OF NORMAL. NAVAJO RESERVOIR IS EXPECTING 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL INFLOW...WHILE FLOW IN THE ANIMAS RIVER IS FORECAST AT 68 PERCENT OF NORMAL. FLOW FROM STREAMS ORIGINATING IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS OF NEW MEXICO AND FEEDING INTO THE RIO GRANDE SHOULD RANGE FROM 15 TO 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL. PRECIPITATION ACROSS NEW MEXICO DURING MARCH 2006 RANGED FROM WELL BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE EAST AND SOUTH TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE IN THE FAR WEST AND FAR NORTH. HIGH ELEVATION PRECIPITATION IN THE FAR NORTH AND FAR WEST RANGED FROM 120 PERCENT TO MORE THAN TWICE THE MONTHLY AVERAGE. NEW MEXICO SEASONAL PRECIPITATION...OCTOBER 2005 THROUGH MARCH 2006...HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE. SEASONAL PRECIPITATION THROUGH MARCH IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO HAS BEEN BELOW AVERAGE DESPITE MARCH PRECIPITATION THAT WAS 150 PERCENT OF THE MONTHLY AVERAGE. MARCH PRECIPITATION ADDED 20 TO 25 PERCENT MORE WATER TO THE SNOWPACK IN THE SAN JUAN BASIN AND NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...COMPARED TO THE SNOWPACK AS OF MARCH 1. SURVEYS BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURES NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE INDICATE THAT SNOWPACK WATER CONTENT IN THE RIO GRANDE BASIN AS OF APRIL 1 WAS 36 PERCENT OF NORMAL AND 25 PERCENT OF ONE YEAR AGO. IN THE SAN JUAN BASIN THE SNOWPACK WATER CONTENT IS 67 PERCENT OF NORMAL AND 47 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL OF APRIL 1 2005. SNOWPACK IN THE SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN SANTA FE AND LAS VEGAS REMAINS AT RECORD LOWS AS OF APRIL 1. SNOWPACK IN THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS IS THIRD WORST ON RECORD...BEHIND 2002 AND 1999 AND MARKS THE FOURTH NEAR RECORD LOW SNOWPACK IN THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS OF THE PAST EIGHT YEARS. SNOWPACK IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO AS OF APRIL 1 IS ONLY 28 PERCENT OF NORMAL AND IS LESS THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD APRIL 1 LOW OF 32 PERCENT SET IN 2002. IN THE COLORADO HIGH COUNTRY HEADWATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE BASIN SNOWPACK WATER CONTENT AS OF APRIL 1 2006 WAS 64 PERCENT OF NORMAL AND ONLY 46 PERCENT OF ONE YEAR AGO. NEW MEXICO RESERVOIR STORAGE IS WELL BELOW NORMAL IN THE RIO GRANDE BASIN AND CANADIAN BASIN...89 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN THE PECOS BASIN... AND WELL ABOVE NORMAL AT NAVAJO LAKE. STORAGE IN THE RIO GRANDE BASIN IS 51 PERCENT OF THE 1971 TO 2000 NORMAL AND 147 PERCENT OF LAST YEARS STORAGE AT THIS TIME. IN THE SAN JUAN BASIN...NAVAJO RESERVOIR STORAGE IS 122 PERCENT OF THE 30 YEAR NORMAL...AND 127 PERCENT OF THE STORAGE OF ONE YEAR AGO. THIS WATER SUPPLY FORECAST REFLECTS CONDITIONS AS OF APRIL 1 2006 AND ASSUMES NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION THROUGH THIS SPRING. SNOTEL DATA AS OF APRIL 1 2006 OBSERVED 1971-2000 AVERAGE WATER CONTENT WATER CONTENT INCHES INCHES CHAMITA SNOTEL 4.2 9.2 RED RIVER PASS SNOTEL 4.1 7.3 CUMBRES TRESTLE SNOTEL 18.7 26.9 WOLF CREEK SUMMIT SNOTEL 20.8 33.3 $$ EAP