Despite abundant precipitation falling in the Guadalajara metro area and along Jalisco’s Pacific coast of late, Lake Chapala has gained only one centimeter in depth over the past week, according to data released by the National Water Commission (Conagua).
Since August 18, Chapala has held steady at Cota 94.43 on the official elevation scale, with a storage volume of 4.1 billion cubic meters (4,145 Mm3) of water.
Those figures put the lake at 52.49 percent of its potential full capacity, covering an area of 104,932 hectares within the basin.During last year’s rainy season the lake rose a paltry 24 cm. It dropped 1.4 meters over the subsequent dry months. From June 18, 2012 to date it has regained 39 cm., equal to 404 Mm3.
Each centimeter in ascent or descent represents 10 million cubic meters of water. One cubic meter is equivalent to 1,000 liters in liquid.
Conagua considers Lake Chapala to be at 100 per cent capacity when it holds 7,897 Mm3, measuring at Cota 97.80.
Follow Conagua Jalisco on Facebook for up-to-date numbers on Chapala along with other information about the nation’s weather and water issues. To track the lake’s day-to-day status and prior history, log on to the state water commission webpage: www.ceajalisco.gob.mx/chapala.html.