Lake is low

mielicita wrote:

Chico wrote:It has been lower and it has been higher. Not a big deal. chico

Chico, read the articles and listen to what Cane above has said...it is true. No big deal? I only know what I read (a lot) and wouldn't agree with your statement at all.

What are you saying, "avoid the rush and panic now?"

Using the same sources Neil and others have referred to (I get the links from Steve's weather webpage) the last time the lake was lower than so far this year was in the late spring or early summer of 2007.

From the same sources it shows the lake was much lower in 2002 and even lower in 1955.

Rod Collins (Lagunanet) remembers walking barefoot ankle deep in water on the Ajijic pier in about 1976 or 7 when it was so high. That's about the year the water was so high that it came up a foot or two above the floor in the bar of the Old Posada

johninajijic wrote:Great pics Bob, but sad to see it's low. Nothing compared to 10 years ago.

I believe we had above average rainfall last year so it should be higher. One possible reason is that CNA is not releasing as much water from the Lerma River. That is a political issue.

Another reason is that Guadalajara is taking far more water than other years.

Last year, rainfall was below average. This year, the prediction is that it will be above average.

*******

Chapala, Jalisco (16/SEP/2011.) - After remaining at the same level for three days, Lake Chapala centimeter registered a new decrease, so after reaching 24 centimeters of recovery in the rainy season, only holds 16. Thus, the level of recovery around the lake vessel was the lowest for over five decades. According to information released by the State Commission Water (CEA), 1957 was the year that less fluid had recovered the largest water body in Mexico. At that time, precipitation Chapala achieved only allowed an increase of 17 centimeters, which in 2011 has been exceeded. However, the figures for the share that had the lake at that time and those currently registered, are entirely different . For this reason is that the National Water Commission (Conagua) has stressed on previous occasions that this is not a matter to cause alarm. Today, the federal agency reports a loss of eight centimeters thanks to a "bad" season rainfall . However, the water surface is above 65% of its total capacity. The current level is 95.36, indicating a storage of five thousand 144 million cubic meters, covering an area of 109 000 727 hectares. The 16 centimeters of winning then ended the harsh dry season, representing a volume of 175 million cubic meters. Despite this scenario, Conagua has officially achieved the peak rainy season in this, because although the rain episodes have virtually disappeared, it is expected that water continues to drop until October. Meanwhile, the lowest level of 2011 was 95.20 (62.93%), present until 23 June. In 2010, the lowest level was 95.06, before 77 centimeters fell and was at 60.99% of their total. Lerma and Zula rivers, major sources of supply for the lake, now send large amounts of water to Chapala, of According to the latest report issued by the Conagua. In contrast, the prey of Jalisco and the Lerma-Chapala saved an average rate of above 90 percent. Meanwhile, the lack of rain also affected the livestock sector. Until last week totaled about 15 thousand head of cattle killed by the drought in different regions of Jalisco.
http://www.informador.com.mx/jalisco/2011/322653/6/chapala-vive-su-peor-recuperacion.htm

Dawg, who moved to Ajijic in 2001 when the lake was very low to the point that one could walk or even drive easily from San Juan Cosala to La Floresta over fabulous trails and dirt roads with many beautiful trees and large shrubs dotted with truck farms, a couple of dairies and numerous cattle herds, looks forward to the day that I can once again walk my large brood of dogs from my home in West Ajijic to San Juan and then to La Floresta on alternate days. Those were the days until the Huichols came in here and did their rain dance in 2003 and enduced Tlaloc to bring back the copious rains and partially refill the lake. Accursed rain god.

Does anyone know or have access to a map that shows the alluvial tributary area that feeds the lake. It would be interesting to know what rainfall (besides the couple of the main rivers) that contribute water to the lake.

slainte39 wrote:Does anyone know or have access to a map that shows the alluvial tributary area that feeds the lake. It would be interesting to know what rainfall (besides the couple of the main rivers) that contribute water to the lake.

I went to google, and entered the search terms for the information you wanted "aluviales Chapala tributaria mapa" and it looks like there is a lot of information. I would guess the most interesting documents would be PDF documents - and those are usually too large for google translate - so if you don't read spanish, it would probably take some time to determine if the information you wanted was or wasn't available and might require adjusting the search terms.

Don't worry. A lot more rain is coming.

For slainte39 and others looking for more information:

Map of Santiago-Lerma-Chapala River Basin Watershed:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208671500092232367219.0004a3afb2d75f8301a4e&msa=0

MexConnect Series of articles:
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3113-lake-chapala-a-review-of-the-lerma-lake-chapala-watershed-evaluation-and-management

CheenaGringo wrote:For slainte39 and others looking for more information:

Map of Santiago-Lerma-Chapala River Basin Watershed:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208671500092232367219.0004a3afb2d75f8301a4e&msa=0

MexConnect Series of articles:
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3113-lake-chapala-a-review-of-the-lerma-lake-chapala-watershed-evaluation-and-management

Thanks Cheena...looks like very little feed from south-east of the lake...from Jocotepec to Tuxcueca. I know they have been getting a fair amount of rain over in Michoacan, so here's hoping the dams fill quickly.

I'm wondering if there hasn't been some sort of 'political pressure' to keep the lake level high for the PanAm games. Now that the games are over, will we see the lake go down again as more water gets diverted? Or is the lake viewed as an important tourist resource now?

Pete

peteben wrote:I'm wondering if there hasn't been some sort of 'political pressure' to keep the lake level high for the PanAm games. Now that the games are over, will we see the lake go down again as more water gets diverted? Or is the lake viewed as an important tourist resource now?

Pete

Pete:

If you think the level of Lake Chapala is more important than irrigation of the vast farmlands in Guanajuato and other agricultural areas of the Lerma Basin then you are deluded. During the flood season we experienced in 2002/03, the waters were not released from upstream reservoirs until it became obvious that the reservoirs were going to overflow causing catastrophic flooding throughout the Bajio. The lake is not that important a "tourist resource". The "breadbasket¨" and industrial heart of the country is far more important. Besides, as one who lived in California for some 35 years, I can assure you that wet and dry years come and go and sometimes you need more water and sometimes you suffer flooding. That´s the way it is. Don´t worry about the lake - it will outlast you.

Notice the pic of the tour boat at the top of this thread? That's at the Joco malicon prior to the dry season. The boat is now anchored about 100 ft off-shore & hasn't run in weeks...not enough water for it to get to the dock.

The lake is the lowest it has been in five years.
The states up river do not release water until the resevoirs are full. They were very low before the rainy season started so we may not get any water this year.
The five state agreement on water sharing was written when the lake was at its recent highest and isn't worth the paper it is written on if the resevoirs are not full.
One year the farmers upriver flooded themselves out rather than allowing water to flow down into the lake.

You're saying it's the lowest since 2007? Where did you find that data? Pls post.