The Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association (GCPBA) has passed along a report from the Cortez Journal that “The chances of a rafting season this spring on the lower Dolores River look bleak, as officials report McPhee Reservoir is not likely to fill this year.”
The low volume in the McPhee Reservoir are blamed on a combination of drought, irrigation requirements, high winds and low snowpack moisture.
The report states that “As of May 1, the runoff forecast is at 83 percent of normal, based on a30-year average, and shows the reservoir will be 31,000 short acre-feet of filling. But recent storms that have increased snowpack water content by one inch have yet to be factored into separate runoff models used by the bureau and the Dolores Water Conservancy District.”