The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is projecting that, for the first time in seven years, more water is flowing through the Colorado River.

L.J. Frink/News-Herald File Photo. A view of Lake Havasu and the Colorado River looking south.

June run-off down the river from snow pack is running about 117 percent above normal, and the projected run-off from April to July is expected to be about 111 percent of normal.

But even with the increased water, two of the four major storage reservoirs along the lower Colorado River remain significantly below normal.

According to the July 14 Lower Colorado River Water Supply report, Lake Powell is 37 percent below capacity while Lake Mead is 54 percent below full.

In April, the Bureau of Reclamation announced that high snow pack, about 122 percent of average, resulted in increased releases from Lake Powell to Lake Mead. An additional 653,000 acre-feet of water was released, elevating Mead by about six feet.

The Southwest has been under drought conditions since 2000, dropping Lake Mead to its lowest levels in 40 years, almost 120 feet below its maximum elevation.

However, Lake Havasu has remained at a consistent elevation through the drought, currently at 94 percent of capacity, the result of water users in Southern California and Southern Arizona.

The Lake Havasu reservoir is the withdrawal point on the river for both the Metropolitan Water District, which serves Los Angeles and San Diego, and the Central Arizona Project, which serves Phoenix and Tucson.

Lake Havasu’s maximum elevation is 450 feet, minimum 445. The Bureau of Reclamation showed the current elevation, as of Tuesday, at 447.74 feet.

The Bureau of Reclamation will also soon begin work on a new reservoir, this one south of Parker Dam.

According to the project description, the 8,000 acre-foot Drop 2 Storage Reservoir “would store Colorado River water that has been released from Parker Dam to meet downstream water orders but cannot be delivered for various reasons, such as changed weather conditions, high run-off into the river, or a number of other factors. This water typically is not put to beneficial use within the United States due to the lack of sufficient storage capacity below Parker Dam.”

The new reservoir would be located near north of the All-American Canal near Interstate 8, about 25 miles west of Yuma and 30 miles east of El Centro, Calif.

No storable water from the Colorado River will be diverted into the All-American Canal at Imperial Diversion Dam, then into the Drop 2 Storage Reservoir. The water will then be released back into the All-American Canal for delivery to, and used by, the Imperial Irrigation District, according to an approved operations plan.

The reservoir would allow the U.S. to capture water that is currently flowing into Mexico. Currently, about 70,0000 acre-feet of water above the required delivery to Mexico is passed over the border because of insufficient storage capacity at the Senator Wash Reservoir, north of Yuma.

Construction of the Drop 2 Reservoir is scheduled to begin in August.

You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com.