Summary of Select Water Storage and Flow Condudition ‎(2)‎

• File Number: 8461.450
• Description: EAC/RCC Meetings
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 4/18/2007
• Author: Ted Kowalski
• Title: Summary of Select Water Storage and Flow Condudition
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb,state.co.us
MEMORANDUM
To: Reservoir Coordinating Committee Members
From: Ted Kowalski, Program Manager
Date: April 18, 2007
Subject: Summary of Select Water Storage Information and Flow Conditions
for the South Platte River Basin
1. 1NTRODUCTION
Bill Ritter, jr.
Governor
Harris D. Sherman
Executive Director
Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director
Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director
Since the last RRC/EAC meeting, the three States and the U.S. Department of the Interior have
signed the Platte River Endangered Species Recovery Implementation Program Agreement, and the
Program began on January 1, 2007. Colorado is pleased to begin implementing the Program that
was discussed and negotiated for over a decade.
Please see the following information in support of the Reservoir Coordinating Committee (RCC) for
the Platte River Endangered Species Recover Implementation Program. In preparing the
information I continued to focus my efforts on the South Platte River and selected data, which I
believe is the most relevant for the RCC. As always, I have also included a number of Internet Sites,
which people can access for additional information and up-to-date information over the next several
months.
II. WATER SUPPLY OUTLOOK
Stream Flow
I have attached several graphs of historic and current (March 2007) flow information for the South
Platte River at Julesburg. Of note, on the first table, on page 3, most of the Reservoirs are at or near
capacity. This is largely due to the snows that have occurred over this winter and the resulting early
runoff that has occurred with the recent warmer temperatures. The reasons for why the lower Platte
Reservoirs are mostly full is especially apparent by looking at the March 2006 mean flows at Kersey
and Julesburg, as compared to the March 2007 mean flows at Kersey, at Julesburg, and at Balzac.
See pages 4-8.
Reservoir Storage
A summary of the status of select reservoir storage and reservoir capacity is provided on pages 9-12.
While the amount of precipitation in the South Platte River basin was above average this winter, the
recent warm temperatures in March, have resulted in an earlier than usual runoff. Nevertheless,
Flaod Protection • Water Supply Planning aZd Finance • Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply ProtecHon 9 Conservaflon and Drought Planning