SWSIReportApril2004

• Title: Colorado Water Supply Conditions Report
• Date: 4/13/2004
• Description: Presentation
• Basin: Statewide
• Drought Mitigation - Doc Type: Presentation

SOUTH PLATTE BASIN

Basinwide Conditions Assessment
The SWSI value of -1.7 indicates that for March the
basin water supplies were below normal. Cumulative storage
for the six reservoirs graphed on this page was 105% of
normal as of the end of March. Cumulative storage in the
major plains reservoirs: Julesberg. North Sterling. and
Prewitt. is at 78% of capacity. Cumulative storage in the
major upper-basin reservoirs: Cheesman, Eleven Mile.
Spinney. and Antero is at 64% of capacity. The Natural
Resources Conservation Service reports that April 1
snowpack is 51 % of normal. Flow at the gaging stalion
South Platte River near Kersey was 528 cfs, as compared to
the long-term average of 823 cis. Flow al the
Colorado/Nebraska state line averaged 19 cfs.

Outlook
Unlike 2003. there was no malor snowstorm in
March to help the very low snowpack. Just the opposite,
March was extremely dry throughout the South Platte Basin
causing snowpack to decrease significantly. Storage
continued on the malnstem and tributaries through out the
month with continued calls for storage water. Wrth the
extremely dry, warm conditions, we would expect a direct
flow irrigation call the first week of April. A call the first week
of April would be an even earlier call than in 2002. which
turned out to be an extremely severe drought year.
The call would also stop storage in the basin, and
several large reservoirs on the mainstem of the South Platte
have not filled Irrigation reservoIrs that are far from filling
include Prewitt, Empire, Milton, and Barr Lake. Without a
significant wet period in April and May, these reservoirs will
not fill this year, which may create supply issues for those
served by the reservoirs. Most companies dependent in part
upon reservoir storage have already warned their users
concerning below average yield of their shares. The dry
conditions may also require that users irrigate their crops
with storage water, which would reduce supply for even
those who have full reservoirs late in the season.

Municipal suppliers, in general, are in much better
condition than they were going into the spring of 2003 and
have higher storage. Most municipalities were able to
maintain a safety factor for this year because of restrictions
placed last year, addrtional supplies they acquired last year,
and conditions that turned out to be not as dry as they
forecasted in 2003 Even for these suppliers, continued
extremely dry conditions would effect yield in 2005, If not
before

Apr-04

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