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SOUIH PLAIIE BASIN Basinwide Conditions Assessment Ihe SWSI value for the month was +1.1. Cumulative storage for the six reservoirs graphed on this page was 112% of normal as of the end of March. Cumulative storage in the major plains reservoirs: Julesberg, North Sterling, and Prewitt, is at 100% of capacity. Cumulative storage in the major upper-basin reservoirs: Cheesman, Eleven Mile, Spinney, and Antero is at 95% of capacity. Ihe Natural Resources Conservation Service reports that April 1 snowpack is 108% of normal. Flow at the gaging station South Platte River near Kersey was 663 cfs, as compared to the long-term average of 684 cfs. Flow at the Colorado/Nebraska state line averaged 100 cfs. Outlook Ihe primary diversions in March continued to be for storage. By the end of the month, all of the major reservoirs on the South Platte had finished filling. Ihis allowed for a change in call to recharge by the end of the month. Recharge should help well user groups in providing augmentation to replace well pumping depletions. Snowpack is slightly above average for the basin with far above average snowpack in the southern part of the basin. With this snowpack, it appears we will have at least average runoff. Ihe concern right now has been the fairly dry conditions on the plains. With these conditions, irrigation users may need to divert water to initially bring up their crops prior to higher flows in the spring. Ihus, we could see calls for irrigation in the next two weeks unless we get rainfall. Shortages of direct flow water may require the use of reservoir supplies depleting those available for later in the summer. One or two well timed wide spread rainstorms would significantly assist in assuring this is a good water year for irrigation users. Supply conditions for municipal users are in good shape for this time of year with in-basin reservoir levels near full for most users and good supplies appearing to be available from transbasin sources. May-08 SOJTH PLATTE ~N SV\SI HSlORY >- w ;: 1 w :3 " > 0 :;J o ;;; ~ -1 o Jan-OO Jan-CD Jan-01 Jan-02 J<n-03 J<n-04 Jan-CE Jan-OO Jan-07 J<n-OO M:N1H/'lEAR SCJUT1-I PLA TIE RIVER NR KERSEY: FLON BY WATER 'YEAR 450,CXXJ 4OJ,CXXJ 1ii tf 350,CXXJ ~ :i. 3OJ,CXXJ 5- 9 250,CXXJ LL W > 2OJ,CXXJ >= <( :5 150,CXXJ 2' ::J U 100,CXXJ 5O,CXXJ o Clot I\bt Dee Jan Feb Morch --i3-- VIET (1983) --+- DRY (1 004) --b-- A VG ~ 2OJ8 REPRESENTATIVE RESERVOIRS 250,COO 2OO,COO 1ii 2 " ~ 15O,00J 0'- OJ (1l (; ~ 1oo,00J :0 (1l Vl ::J 9J,COO Dillon I--brsetooth Eleven Mile Cheesrran -hckson E!arr Lake II Avg. 3/31 Contents 113/31/08 Contents 3