The Colorado River Drainage Basin covers parts of seven western states. A series of dams has been constructed on the Colorado River and its tributaries to store runoff water and to generate low-cost hydroelectric power (see Figure P8.8 ). The ability to regulate the fl ow of water has made the growth of agriculture and population in these arid desert states possible. Even during periods of extended drought, a steady, reliable source of water and electricity has been available to the basin states. Lake Powell is one of these reservoirs. The fi le lake_powell.dat contains data on the water level in the reservoir for the 8 years from 2000 to 2007. These data are shown in Table 8.9 . Use the data in the fi le to answer the following questions:
(a) Determine the average elevation of the water level for each year and for the 8-year period over which the data were collected.
(b) Determine how many months each year exceed the overall average for the 8-year period.
(c) Create a report that lists the month (number) and the year for each of the months that exceed the overall average. For example, June is month 6.
(d) Determine the average elevation of the water for each month for the 8-year period.
