March 18, 2022 |
The water level in Seminoe Reservoir dropped to a new low point early in March, alarming some boaters and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy the popular recreation spot. Old-timers can’t remember the reservoir ever being so empty.
On March 3rd, the 1,000,000-acre foot reservoir dropped below 278,000 acre feet. Yesterday, Seminoe was up slightly to 279,144 a.f., or 27 percent of capacity.
The reservoir began the water year on October 1st at 324,199 acre feet, nearly half of what it as exactly one year earlier when the reservoir measured 657,847 a.f. in October of 2020. A year ago, in March of 2021, Seminoe was above 578,000 a.f. through the the month. The difference is dramatic. Yesterday, none of the boat ramps were usable because of law water.
Bigfoot 99 talked to two officials in the Wyoming office of the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the seven reservoirs on the North Platte River in Wyoming. Seminoe is the furthest upstream. Guernsey Reservoir is the furthest downstream. Both said Seminoe will return to more normal conditions this summer.
Pictured above: Low water level at Seminoe Reservoir. Courtesy photo.
That’s Jay Dallman, a public affairs representative with the Wyoming Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation in Casper. Dallman began the interview by acknowledging that he’s not a water manager. Dallman works in the land division. He issued a news release on March 11th reporting that Pathfinder is not expected to spill this year and that releases out of Seminoe are expected to peak at around 1,300 cfs in May, June and July. Dallman also indicated that based on current Bureau of Reclamation forecasts, the 13 North Platte contract holders downstream of Pathfinder may face an allocation this year.
The Bureau of Reclamation’s water forecasts are more conservative than the forecast issued earlier this month by the state hydrologist, James Fahey. It’s not unusual for different agencies to reach different conclusions, said Mahonri Williams, a water engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation. Williams said despite the Bureau’s more conservative estimate of snowmelt and spring flows, Seminoe Reservoir will refill to 50-to-55 percent of capacity by this summer.
The 25-foot increase in water level translates to Seminoe over half of its million-acre foot capacity.
In 2021, the reservoir topped out at 579-thousand-plus acre feet of water in April. It stayed about 50-percent of capacity until mid-June. The Bureau of Reclamation began moving water to Pathfinder in big releases around June 15th. The releases continued into August and beyond to accommodate two maintenance projects. Williams said one was for the Seminoe Power Plant.
The timing of moving the water for power generation was earlier than usual. The low streamflow year also allowed for maintenance on the dam itself, Williams said.
Williams said the gate testing is complete. Additional work will be done at the power plant late in the summer and into the fall. So boaters should enjoy a better summer than last year.
Another benefit to boaters is that the Bureau also plans fewer releases from Seminoe. Dallman said Pathfinder is full.
Williams confirmed that last year’s releases into Pathfinder will change how Seminoe is managed this year.
Bigfoot 99 asked a question about a statement in the March 11 news release that states that based on current forecasts, “there may be a need for an allocation for our North Platte River contractors.” Williams said the state engineer’s calculation in March could result in administration of allocations to the 13 water districts downstream of Pathfinder which is part of the three-state North Platte River decree. Irrigators in the Upper North Platte River Basin are not affected
So it’s all good news for boaters, anglers and irrigators. The wet water year means high tides and green grasses are just a months away.
