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<br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />Date: April 2, 2002 <br /> <br />To: Members of the State Drought Task Force and all other Interested Parties <br /> <br />From: JeffBrislawn, Drought Task Force Chair, 303-273-1790 <br /> <br />Subject: Minutes of the Thursday, March 21, 2002 Drought Task Force Meeting, <br /> <br />The Drought Task Force met on Thursday, March 21, at the NOAA Skagg's building in Boulder, <br />Twenty four participants attended, The following is a summAry of the meeting and current <br />conditions, <br /> <br />Summarv of Current Water Status: <br /> <br />Colorado continues to have a moderate drought, verging on severe in the southwest comer of the <br />state, All mountain areas continue to have well below average mountain snowpack, with 60% of <br />average statewide overall (63% oflast year) as of March 21. Southwest Colorado basins have the <br />largest deficits, though the South Platte basin is also in the 45% of average range, Streamflow <br />forecasts for the runoff season are bleak, with all basins predicted to have below to much below <br />average runoff, The Dolores, Rio Grande, and N Platte basins are forecasted to have extremely <br />below average (<50%) runoff this spring, With statewide reservoir storage (March 1) at 88% of <br />average, the reservoirs are not expected to fill this year, Water users with junior water rights <br />should expect to see cutoffs this year, Most municipal reservoirs remain in good shape, <br /> <br />The forecast for April-June has a slight probability for above average precipitation in eastern <br />Colorado, but the southwest comer remains neutral, The chance of making up snowpack deficits <br />is very remote, The influence, strength, and duration ofEL Nino remains uncertain at this time, <br /> <br />1. Current Water Availability Status <br /> <br />Temperatures - February temperatures were near average for the eastern slope, The western <br />slope and the San Luis Valley had temperatures generally below average, March temperatures <br />are tracking cooler than average, <br /> <br />Precipitation - February precipitation was again well below average across most of the state, <br />particularly in the southwest and southeast comers of the state, The accurnulated precipitation <br />map for the water year so far (October 2001 through February 2002) shows mostly below <br />average conditions statewide, <br /> <br />Snownack - NRCS snowpack measurements were 60% of average as of March 21, up 2% from <br />an average of 56% on March 1, The March 1 snowpack was 65% of last year, NRCS added a <br />new bottom category to its statewide snowpack map titled "Extremely below average," Parts of <br />