NRCSUSDA Snow Survey Drought

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NRCS-USDA Snow Survey Drought
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Sites experiencing record or near record March
to April 2004 snowpack changes
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Lake Powell Water Year Natural Inflow 1922-2004
1000s acre-feet
of average
2000-2004 50 of avg Worst 5 years in at least
80
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Major Colorado River Storage above Hoover Dam
1935-2004
Total Capacity
1000s acre-feet
Other Upper Basin Flaming Gorge, Fontenelle,
Navajo, Blue Mesa
Lake Powell
Lake Mead
Data USBR
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Major Colorado River Storage above Hoover Dam
1935-2004
What storage would have been if Hoover was the
last dam built
1000s acre-feet
Total Capacity
Lake Mead
Completely empty April 2003 to today
Caveats doesnt account for changed reservoir
evaporation or changed management
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Reservoir contents are approaching historic
lows. Rates of decline have been unprecedented.
Bear Lake Usable Contents
Thousands Acre-feet
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10 precip in 48 Hours!
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Drought Impacts the stuff you know
Billions lost in agricultural production
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Millions of Forest Acres lost to Fire but still
only 25 of what used to burn every year.
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Millions of forest acres lost to drought stress
induced insect infestations.
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Loss of Hydropower generation!
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Drought Impacts stuff you may not have thought
about. Yet.
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Current elevation is 3570, power generation stops
at 3490. This could be as soon as 1 year (a 2002
runoff year) or in 2 years at 50 of average
flow. Lake Powell produces 5000 giga-watt hours
per year. There are other really nasty things
that could happen given a several more years of
drought.
Lake Powell
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Barges vs Rail vs Truck VS RECREATION-WATER RIGHTS
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On the Columbia/Snake system 35 of wheat and
20 feedgrains are exported from the Pacific
Northwest
About 40 is transported by Barge
If barge transportation stopped, it would take
and estimated 700,000 semi-trucks to meet the
volume.
One barge will fill 35 rail cars
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600,000 acres of sage lost in Utah alone. The
loss of habitat increases the pressure on the
Sage Grouse and a potential ESA listing.
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No official government endorsement is expressly
given or implied as the US government is an equal
opportunity beer facilitator.
However Anheuser Busch regularly calls Snow
Survey for drought assessments related to grain
and hops production.
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Virgin Spinedace, Loach Minnow, Woundfin Minnow,
June Sucker, Humpback Chub, Bonytail Chub,
Roundtail Chub, Colorado Squawfish, Razorback
Sucker, Flannelmouth Sucker, Silvery Minnow, etc.
23 of 36 native fish species of the southwest
have some problems mostly lots of problems and
drought compounds the situation.
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Lake Mead Shaken by Quakes Scientists say
dropping level caused by drought is to blame
about 20 quakes in the past month, up to 2.8
magnitude.
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Heres hoping 2005 is a much better year than the
past 5.
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