Lake Havasu Returns to More Seasonal Levels;
Extra Flows From Davis Dam Planned Through End of April

Lake Havasu has returned to more seasonal levels one week after higher-projected water orders below Parker Dam and generator maintenance at Davis Dam caused the lake to drop below normal elevation.

Currently, Lake Havasu is at elevation 446.10 feet above sea level. It is projected to be at approximately elevation 447.80 to 448.08 feet above sea level for Easter weekend, April 22nd - 23rd. And it is projected to continue to rise through the end of April, reaching approximately 448.51 feet by April 30th, or about two-tenths of a foot below the end-of-April target level of 448.7.

Last weekend, Lake Havasu was about elevation 445.6, or about three feet below its targeted elevation for this time of year. The reservoir had dropped rapidly as water releases were increased to meet larger-than-projected demands from California and Arizona water users. Because of ongoing maintenance of a generating unit at Davis Dam (expected to be complete in early May), the extra water released from Lake Havasu could not be replaced as quickly as it normally would have been.

On Wednesday, April 12th, Reclamation opened a spillway gate at Davis Dam to move extra water from Lake Mohave downstream to Havasu. The spill is expected to continue 24-hours-per-day until the end of the month when Reclamation will evaluate elevations and operations to determine if the spillway gate should remain open.

Until April 30th, river flows between Davis Dam and Lake Havasu will average between 19,000 and 23,000 cubic feet per second. River users should be aware that these flows will be slightly higher than normal for this time of year, and should continue to excerise caution while using the river. Reclamation crews have placed a buoy line across the river below Davis Dam as a safety measure to prevent watercraft across to this area.