workingWhy are we marching hand in hand
Why are the ocean levels rising up
It's a brand new record, for 1990
They Might Be Giants' brand new album....
FLOOD!
I am a happy water bear. This is the first time in around 4 years that there has been significantly high flows in the Rio Grande. We have been in such severe droughts that the Spring snowmelt has been pretty anemic. This year we finally had a semi-decent snowpack (still below normal), minimal Spring winds which can suck the moisture right out of the snow, and nice warm temperatures to melt the snow quickly. We hit our maximum storage in one of our reservoirs, so we're kicking the gates open. For the last few years we have had to release water from our reservoirs to force the stupid endangered silvery minnow to spawn. It appears they spawn during the middle of May only when the river is running high and is full of silt. Well, Mama Nature provided the flow this year. BTW, the river isn't really in flood stage. It's just higher than it's been in a long time.
And once again we're being nice to this stupid old rancher who grazes cattle up in the Rio Chama canyon. We're releasing so much water that her cattle are stranded. We're cutting our flows for 24 hours for them to get the cows out. After that, they're s.o.l. We'll probably strand some whitewater rafters for a bit, but we're betting that they'll be out before the drop hits.
To see flows on all of the New Mexico Rivers, visit the USGS website. By changing "nm" to your state, you could also see what the rivers are doing in your neighborhood.
Have a nice wet day and make a little birdhouse in your soul.
