Colorado State Basin Outlook Report

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State Basin Outlook Reports GUNNISON RIVER BASIN Reservoir Storage (1000AF) End of December Usable ********** Usable Storage ********* Reservoir Capacity This Year Last Year Average BLUE MESA 830.0 580.4 587.1 545.8 CRAWFORD 14.0 6.6 9.2 7.5 FRUITGROWERS 4.4 2.2 4.5 2.8 FRUITLAND 9.2 1.2 2.0 1.3 MORROW POINT 121.0 111.0 104.9 113.4 PAONIA 15.4 1.0 2.0 4.7 RIDGWAY 83.0 72.8 79.5 60.1 TAYLOR PARK 106.0 77.9 78.8 67.7 -------------------- -------------------- GUNNISON RIVER BASIN Watershed Snowpack Analysis - January 1, 2008 ---------------------------- --- Number of This Year as Percent of Watershed Data Sites Last Year Average UPPER GUNNISON BASIN 9 122 115 SURFACE CREEK BASIN 2 132 109 UNCOMPAHGRE BASIN 3 138 121 TOTAL GUNNISON RIVER BASIN ----------------------------- ----------------------------- 12 ------------------- ------------------- 125 ----------------- ----------------- 117 --------------- --------------- ? UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN as of January ',1, 2008 At the end of October, the Upper Colorado River Basin snowpacks were running about average. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse during November and snowpacks dropped to 47 percent of average by the end of the month. Better than average snowfall during December turned things back around, and by January 1, snowpacks were back above normal at 105 percent of average. That makes three consecutive years the basin has had an above average January 1 snowpack. Sub-basin snowpacks ranged from 84 percent of average in the Muddy Creek Watershed to 122 percent of average in the Willow Creek Drainage. Mountain precipitation was well above average during October (143 percent of average). However, a severely dry November of only 43 percent of average brought the annual precipitation totals since October 1 down to 87 percent of average at the end of November. The trend reversed itself again in December and well a?bove average monthly precipitation (163 percent of average) brought the annual precipitation totals back up to a respectable 116 percent of average. The amount of stored water remains near normal at 99 percent of average, down slightly from the amounts reported last year at this time. Near normal streamflows are forecast for most forecast points in the basin. Expected runoff will range from 88 percent of average for Muddy Creek below Wolford Mountain Reservoir to 106 percent of average for the Inflow to Ruedi Reservoir and the Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN Streamflow Forecasts - January 1, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drier =_= Future Conditions =_= Wetter Forecast Pt IChance of Exceeding *I Forecast 1 90% 70% 1 50% 1 30% 10% 1 30 Yr Avg Period 1(1000AF) (1000AF)1(1000AF) (% AVG.)I(1000AF) (1000AF)l (1000AF) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake Granby Inflow (2) APR-JUf, 155 187 210 93 235 273 225 Page 4 of 15 http://www.wcc.nres.usda.gov/cgibin/bor2.pl?state=co&year=2008&month=l&format=text 4/14/2008