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<br />INTERMOUNTAIN WEST CLIMATE SUMMARY, JUNE 2006 <br /> <br />Colorado Water Availability June 2006 <br /> <br />Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service <br /> <br />According to the NRCS Colorado State Basin Outlook <br />Report, May was the second consecutive month of warm <br />and dry conditions across Colorado, resulting in a worsen- <br />ing of the state's \vater supply outlook. Statewide June 1 <br />snowpack was down to 26% of average with basinwide <br />totals ranging from 6% of average in the San Juan, Ani- <br />mas, Dolores, and San Miguel basins to 51 % of average <br />in the Arkansas Basin. Snow water equivalent (SWE) as a <br />percent of normal as of June 13 \vas either 0% or bet\veen <br />o and 40% at most sites (Figure 7a). Only a handful of <br />sites were at or above average. <br />The state's Water Availability Task Force (WATF) <br />reported after its May 16 meeting that drought conditions <br />existed in the South Platte, Arkansas, and Rio Grande <br />Ri ver Basins and parts of the south\vest. Although high <br />elevation snowpack in May helped delay the start of drier <br />conditions, early melt, low streamflow and lack of pre- <br />cipitation is raising significant concerns, particularly about <br />agricultural impacts and wildfire. Those impacts are already <br />being felt. State officials shut down 440 wells in Weld, <br />Morgan and Adams counties under a state la\v requiring that <br />wells be turned off in dry years to satisfy higher priority <br />rights, leading to upwards of millions of dollars of losses. <br />Numerous small \vildland fires have been reported up and <br />do\vn the Front Range. <br />USGS 7-day average streamflow observations compared <br />to historical streamflow graph (Figure 7b), most of Colora- <br />do's rivers are running in the normal category (25th - 75th <br />percentile) for this time of year. Some stations on the White <br />River in the northwest part of the state and on the Dolores, <br />Animas, and San Juan Rivers in the southwest are belo\v <br />normal. Flows are extremely low (5% or less of average) on <br />the Arkansas River at Cherry Creek and Fountain Creek, as <br />well as at the Nebraska and Kansas state lines. <br />June Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) figures were <br />not yet available as of press time. <br /> <br />Notes <br />Figure 7a shows the SWE as a percent of normal (aver- <br />age) for SNOTEL sites in Colorado. <br />The "7-day average streamflow" map (Figure 7b) shows <br />the average streamflow conditions for the past 7 days com- <br />pared to the same period in past years. By averaging over <br />the past 7 days, the values on the map are more indicative <br />of longer-term streamflow conditions than either the "Real- <br />time streamflow" or the "Daily streamflow" maps. If a station <br />is categorized in "near normal" or 25th - 75th percentile <br />class, it means that the streamflows are in the same range <br />as 25-750/0 of past years. Note that this "normal" category <br />represents a wide range of flows. Only stations having at <br />least 30 years of record are used. Areas containing no dots <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />-'~L <br />T'~ . . <br /> <br />CUrf,enlt Sn..OW ~#\+' <br />W~ater Eq lJiV'B a .. <br />'% of N;o~rmall <br /> <br />}.. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />\;. ~ 1iHJ' <br />.~+ "',~' <br />~l <br />.;,.,.... <br />.;~ ,.i ~~ ~ <br /> <br />U".~ ,. <br /> <br />.. . -N- j <br />~ ''\. of II: r- ,.-" ~'... <br />~ .-. -...II .? ...... ... . ..,- <br />~!f -I!Ui Iiu .~. ~ :-"-'--- . IO.sll'nV8f -,. <br />J:w1lfCtin i .'~ l^ <br /> <br />'...-1:,-,+--1""" . \ <br /> <br />,. ~ill.,.i' _ II <br /> <br />'T 'rjji ~~.~ i1 <br />n.' '.j~~~ <br /> <br />~ ....",rc" <br /> <br />1 .. l~1 <br />r = ~.r <br /> <br />n lliIiI i s s i n.!~f'J <br /> <br />t- (I' <br />" r[I~40 <br />V 40-60 <br />'11. 60- eo <br />..,. .80-'100 <br />,lJ. 1 ()ll-1 a) <br />.Ai 120<:,1-40 <br />. 14(1.... iBID <br /> <br /> <br />J- <br /> <br />.& > 160 <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Figure 7a. Currrent snow water equivalent (SWE) as a percent <br />of normal for SNOTEL sites in Colorado as of June 13, 2006. <br />This is orovisional data. For current SNOTEL data and plots <br />of specific sites, see http://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/snow/snow.cgi <br />or http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/. <br /> <br /> <br />,II <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />II. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />High >900/0 75-890/0 25-750/0 10-240/0 <100/0 Low Not <br />Ranked <br /> <br />Figure 7b. Seven-day average streamflow conditions for points <br />in Colorado as of 6/11/06. <br /> <br />indicate locations where flow data for the current day are temporarily <br />unavailable. The data used to produce this map are provisional and <br />have not been reviewed or edited. They may be subject to significant <br />change. <br /> <br />On the Web <br />- For current maps of SWE, visit: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/gis/snow.html. <br />- For current streamflow information from USGS, visit: http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/. <br />- For the current SWSI map, go to: http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/fcst/state/current/monthly/maps_graphs/index.html. <br />- For monthly NRCS reports on water supply conditions & forecasts for major CO river basins, visit: http://www.co.nrcs. <br />usda.gov/snow/snow/snow_all.html and click on "Basin Outlook Reports." <br />- The Colorado Water Availability Task Force's next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 22, 2006, 10:00am-Noon, <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife Headquarters, Big Horn Room, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO. Agendas and minutes of this and <br />previous meetings are available at: http://cwcb.state.co.us/Conservation/Drought/taskForceAgendaMinPres.htm. <br /> <br />RECENT CONDITIONS 110 <br /> <br />