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<br />001241
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<br />;~17!Cjdittjon$ drain riveJ&S' 'Qbt~dt:ReserY€if'
<br />
<br />:.cR""~l saw(J~(J~Q#lJU 'y ql1dcapacityj~about.,J02,000ac~.r~ 'use~~w'itl1JukiQ~ tigh~~;k~'~~~~da/
<br />24,' fi(ve.'- rs now 1D~_'.'~..".;rw. ...'.n.:.oi..rm.a....'.....,.. . Lastye{ifthe stotage level' .. uedhwaterto.a1,lgtnenrtp~it..oijS.~r
<br />~. v read! ~O;OOO acre. fee!; accotdii\g..
<br />record~.: <c:.<:'
<br />By. $9qtt CQ(ldO,R ..... The re~ervoit'1fWUterleve.f ...
<br />AspenTilJfiifs'S~tI~'~(er. .< ............. .._,..,.... by a littlebitevety?day now'
<br />Aftttr~~penencmg.its~()tSl~~,ever due stream demands.' J11~.<ftl mote.'
<br />to tl1edrou;~ht jp 2()Q~:lv~~i 'c)U,4. released than is ft~i~$ in,
<br />,almo~tto'.~ ~?rllla]J1fveJt.k._..;.,.er:.}...~yer, the threep~It9 boat
<br />muQ.h-to. thed0lJght~fcnoat~~/;~f;~'SJf1~s_.;temain in use tlttollgb~\ittHe.s
<br />and'the lIke.. '. ' ",. ..' . '.; ~ifS.:< . . Calls fQfWaterthis dt}!
<br />1;he reservoir's waterlevelpe~ked<lta:lfeli?t~d.&\.t~ijnct\Y9i~ays.F1rli!t, '" . . ..........Ve
<br />98,162 acre-feet on Jl!ly,24,acCQ.!diIlg5:to u.~:.,~:~~m (iireOl<J,t:W . .Yl1s.ei's':WithS~l1i~#.m
<br />BUraau.;?f,~~c;lall1(ltl?:~sP '. .....~~.t<ata.. ...\yatefrl~ts'~ati. ." .....>..those tj~ht$.;teq\iir~s'~'...
<br />Lamb. ~verage storage is 1 . 'acre..;feet; releases ftonftbe fcservoit.' .,;.. '" \i /.fW'; ;".~"'_'
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<br />~AspeN TIMES
<br />A$pen. CO
<br />(Plt~n C9unly)
<br />Oally. 14.000
<br />
<br />COlorado Press
<br />Clipping Service
<br />1336 Gleoallll Phi
<br />303-571.5117. ';A'V.Den3Q' Vel; CO 80204
<br />~ 3-571-1803
<br />
<br />D ".,I:.
<br />~R.eul
<br />
<br />
<br />.ctJntlnUIfd (tom page.q. .
<br />come on and off due to hydrology -
<br />bowmucb water is in tbe river _
<br />and by demand -how much water
<br />diverters need," Lafub wrote in an e~
<br />maH."lfydrology' and' demand are
<br />driven largely by weather."
<br />After a fairly impressive peak
<br />runoff, the flows in local rivers have
<br />plununete4 due to thedtyVlieather in
<br />June and July. Only 0.69 inches of
<br />rain fell in Aspen fbrall of July. For
<br />theyear.to.date, preoipitationis only
<br />60 percent of average.
<br />Loads of spring snow followed
<br />by warm temperatures created an
<br />unusual runoff season. The snow-
<br />pack didn't reach its peak until mid.
<br />May, about one month later than
<br />usual, according to Brian Avery, a
<br />hydrologist with the National Weath-
<br />er Service in Grand Junction.
<br />Warmer than usual temperatures in
<br />
<br />late May sent water levels skyrock.
<br />eting.
<br />"The runoff kind of came down
<br />all at once,"Avery said.
<br />The Roaring Fork River'peaked
<br />near the confluence with the Col-
<br />orado River on May 31, then surged
<br />close to that peak level again on
<br />June 2, according to National Weath.
<br />erService data. The peak waS n~ar
<br />6,900 cfs; The average peak is abou,t
<br />6,I50cfs,according to the National
<br />Weather Service.
<br />The Crystal River peaked at lev-
<br />els that caused minor flooding of
<br />lowlands. TheCrystal~bove
<br />Avalanche Creek was flowing at
<br />1,900 cfs in late May, well above the
<br />median of 1,200cfs. .
<br />Lamb said inflow to Ruedi Reser.
<br />voir from the upper Fryingpan River
<br />peaked on June 2 at 1,267 cfs. The
<br />average peak is 1,153 cfs, she said.
<br />
<br />Averyhoted that high water lev-
<br />els didn't last for long. Dry condi.
<br />tions this summer have led to lower
<br />levels than average.
<br />The-Roaring Fork River wa.s
<br />flowing at 33 Cis just~~sti()fAspet1
<br />Friday; That is about hitlJ; of'fhe 38~
<br />year median of 70 cfs for that date.
<br />The Crystal River wa~ flowing at
<br />163~f~ at>6ve'Avatl1nche'ere~kon
<br />Fricllly,Th~47;'Yearmeclian.;is 240 .
<br />cfsfor.t,hat date.,
<br />Avery said the rivers should
<br />e:xperience some relief due to the
<br />return of the summer monsoon.
<br />High pressure parked over Four
<br />Corners kept the state dry through-
<br />out July. That high is breaking down
<br />so Wetter conditions can be expect~
<br />ed, he said.
<br />
<br />Scott Condon'.s e-mail 4ddress is
<br />scondon@aspentimes.com
<br />
<br />~-1l!-]' ..~~~~~t~;:h
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