Heron and Elephant Butte Lake Level Updates

Heron Lake, New Mexico
11:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 25, 2007

7,154.41 feet elev. above m.s.l., 238,542 acre feet

Up 0.05' (3/5 inch) and 221 acre feet in 24 hours.
Up 0.08' (1 inch) and 352 a.f. in 71 hrs.

Azotea Tunnel flow is 28 cubic feet per second (19 to 98 cfs in past 71 hours).
Willow Creek flow is 19 c.f.s. (19-86 cfs).

Assembly has begun on a raft that will support a 32-foot gangway extension.
Several boats have arrived recently at the marina, ranging from 18 to 30 l.o.a.

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Elephant Butte Lake
9:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 25, 2007

4,338.04 ft. elev. above benchmark
479,385 acre feet

Down 0.22' (2.6 inches) and 2,805 a.f. in 24 hrs.
Down 0.66' (8 inches) and 8,426 a.f. in 71 hrs.

Although the lake is going down more than a foot per week, the decrease is slower than that projections made in the US Bureau of Reclamation's Operations Plan.

The Ops Plan predicted that the Butte would reach 4,333.10' at 419,011 a.f. today, and would be losing 4.8 inches and 4,791 a.f. per day, with water flowing out at 2,430 c.f.s. Today's actual level is 4.96 feet and 60,374 a.f. higher. The actual loss of 2,805 a.f. is only about 59% of the 4,791 a.f. projection, and the outflow of 1,810 c.f.s. is 75% of the 2,430 c.f.s. projection.

The Ops Plan made a conservative projection that, on October 14, the lake would reach a low point of 4,310.75' elev. at 200,080 a.f.

But, the most likely low point is something like an October 6 level of 4,322.05' above benchmark with 299,500 a.f.