Upper Green River Basin (11)
January 2001

Snow
The Upper Green River Basin snow water equivalent (SWE), above Fontenelle Reservoir, is 85 percent of average (145 percent of last year). The Green River basin SWE above Warren Bridge is 82 percent of normal (156 percent of last year). SWE on the west side of the Upper Green River basin is about 82 percent of normal, 138 percent of this time last year. Newfork River SWE is now 105 percent of normal (176 percent of last year). Big Sandy-Eden Valley SWE is about 100 percent of average (240 percent of last year). For more information see the Basin Summary of Snow Courses at the beginning of this report.

Precipitation
The 11 reporting precipitation sites in the basin were 80 percent of the December average (148 percent of last year at this time). December precipitation varied from 2 to 90 percent of average. Water year-to-date precipitation is about 77 percent of average (162 percent of last year). Year to date percentage of average ranges from 59 to 77 percent for the reporting stations.

Reservoir
Data for Big Sandy Reservoir and Eden Reservoir were not reported this month. Fontenelle Reservoir is storing 151,900 acre-feet (73 percent of average and 44 percent of the total capacity). Flaming Gorge Reservoir is currently storing 3,006,000 acre feet -- 92 percent of last year and 80 percent of capacity. There is no average established for Flaming Gorge. Detailed reservoir data is shown on the following page and on the reservoir storage summary at the beginning of this report.

Streamflow
The fifty-percent chance April through July runoff in the Upper Green River basin is forecast near average to below average. Green River at Warren Bridge is expected to yield about 225,000 acre-feet (85 percent of normal). Pine Creek above Fremont Lake is expected to yield 102,000 acre-feet (98 percent of normal). New Fork River near Big Piney is expected to yield about 365,000 acre-feet (95 percent of normal). Fontenelle Reservoir Inflow is estimated to be 735,000 acre-feet (87 percent of average), and Big Sandy near Farson is expected to be about 53,000 acre-feet (93 percent of normal). 

 
==================================================================================================================================
                                                     UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN
                                               Streamflow Forecasts - January 1, 2001
==================================================================================================================================
                                              |  <<====== Drier ======  Future Conditions  =======  Wetter =====>>  |             
                                              |                                                                     |
  Forecast Point                     Forecast |  ==================== Chance Of Exceeding * ======================  |
                                      Period  |    90%       70%    |  50% (Most Probable)  |      30%       10%    |  30-Yr Avg.
                                              | (1000AF)  (1000AF)  |   (1000AF)  (% AVG.)  |    (1000AF)  (1000AF) |    (1000AF)
====================================================================|=======================|=====================================
Green River at Warren Bridge         APR-JUL       142       191    |      225        85    |       259       308            266
                                                                    |                       |
Pine Creek abv Fremont Lake          APR-JUL        77        92    |      102        98    |       112       127            104
                                                                    |                       |
New Fork River nr Big Piney          APR-JUL       220       306    |      365        95    |       424       510            385
                                                                    |                       |
Fontenelle Reservoir Inflow          APR-JUL       504       636    |      735        87    |       841      1009            849
                                                                    |                       |
Big Sandy River nr Farson            APR-JUL        31        44    |       53        93    |        62        75             57
                                                                    |                       |
==================================================================================================================================
                         UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN                        |                 UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN
             Reservoir Storage (1000 AF) - End of December              |        Watershed Snowpack Analysis - January 1, 2001
==================================================================================================================================
                                      Usable |  *** Usable Storage ***  |                            Number     This Year as % of
Reservoir                            Capacity|  This      Last          |   Watershed                  of       =================
                                             |  Year      Year     Avg  |                          Data Sites   Last Yr   Average
========================================================================|=========================================================
BIG SANDY                                       NO REPORT               |   GREEN above Warren Bridge   4       156        82
                                                                        |
EDEN                                            NO REPORT               |   UPPER GREEN (West Side)     5       138        82
                                                                        |
FLAMING GORGE                         3749.0   3006.0   3269.0      --- |   NEWFORK RIVER               2       176       105
                                                                        |
FONTENELLE                             344.8    151.9    210.4    208.3 |   BIG SANDY/EDEN VALLEY       1       240       100
                                                                        |
                                                                        |   GREEN above Fontenelle     11       145        85
                                                                        |
==================================================================================================================================
 * 90%, 70%, 30%, and 10% chances of exceeding are the probabilities that the actual volume will exceed the volumes in the table.

The average is computed for the 1961-1990 base period.

(1) - The values listed under the 10% and 90% Chance of Exceeding are actually 5% and 95% exceedance levels.                  
(2) - The value is natural volume - actual volume may be affected by upstream water management.
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