WATERNEWS Apr 2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

WATER UPDATE Drought hangs on OPTIMISM REIGNS AMONG WATER PROVIDERS AND UTILITIES, BUT THE 2005 WATER YEAR APPEARS TO BE AVERAGE AT BEST AND IT MAY BE BE- LOW AVERAGE IN THE TWO BASINS SUPPLYING WATER TO NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. Snowpacks decreased during February and March in the South Platte basin, but rose slightly in the Upper Colorado. Heading into mid - April, both basins' averages were below average. And with a projected sixth year of below normal storage and runoff, predictions of the end of the drought are premature. Colorado -Big Thompson Project storage remains below normal. Lake Granby is entering its 45th consecu- tive month of below average storage. It has not exceeded its average since June 2001. As the largest reservoir in the C -BT system, with nearly half the total storage capacity within the Project, Lake Granby plays a huge role in managing C -BT water supplies. "We'd like to see Granby and total Project storage at least normal and preferably above normal," said General Manager Eric Wilkinson. "Until that time you won't hear us saying the drought is over." As of April 1, the C -BT Project's total storage was 23 percent below average. With April forecasts projecting below normal runoff in all but the Willow Creek Basin, the likelihood of reaching average storage levels is remote. Yet, March and April can make or break a water year. "We get nearly a third of our total precipitation during those two months," said Water Resources Engineer Esther Vincent. "The March 2003 blizzard produced so much water our numbers jumped 30 percent from that one storm, March to April typically bring significant precipitation to the mountains." Above illustration: Combined storage levels in Granby, Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoirs for the past six years. Photo by jeff'Dahlrtrom WATER DELIVERIES 2004 Water deliveries were down again in 2004 primarily due to the continuing drought and widespread successful efforts to conserve water. The NCWCD delivered 171,000 acre feet of C -BT water, up 60,000 acre feet from the record low total in 2003, yet well below the average annual delivery of 213,000 acre feet. There should be more water deliv- ered to agriculture in 2005 as farmers plant more acres than in the previous two years. Many farmers had reduced the acres planted due to the ongoing drought and many cities in need of addi- tional water were willing to pay farmers for that rental water. THE NCWCD BOARD OF DIRECTORS, FACED WITH A SIXTH STRAIGHT DROUGHT YEAR, BOOSTED QUOTA TO 70 PERCENT. ► For the first time in two years, the Board based its decision on need rather than availability. The 10 percent increase will allow more water to remain in local reservoirs and help farmers and municipal suppliers. The initial 60 percent quota was effective Nov. 1. ► Initial quota also allows allottees to receive water during 41 WATERNEWS APRIL 2005 the winter without incurring negative account balances. ► In 2003, with water storage at all -time lows, the Board set the initial quota at 30 percent before raising it to 40 percent in April and 50 in June. ► On Nov. 1, 2003, the initial quote was 50 percent. In April 2004, the Board bumped it up to 60 percent.