Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Mike Gillespie, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) <br />Mr. Gillespie reported May's snotel precip was very dry for Colorado, but it has improved in <br />June and July even though we are still at a -4.9 deficit. He added that we are still in the grasp of <br />a drought. <br /> <br />Mr. Gillespie said our reservoir storage is at 80% of average statewide as of July 1st. He stated <br />that our southwest basins are doing the best and are approaching average; the Rio Grande Basin <br />is still well below average; and, we are at 80-90% across the northern half of the state. <br /> <br />Mr. Gillespie mentioned he has looked at Colorado's reservoir storage in a time series pattern of <br />eight years of data. He said the Arkansas basin is at its best storage level since 1999 when it <br />peaked out and then decreased. The first decrease showed up in the summer of 2000, then <br />another decrease in 2001 and again in 2002. The Gunnison Basin shows good recovery from the <br />winter months; the Rio Grande Basin continues with a steady decline; the South Platte Basin is <br />similar with declines in 2000, 2001 and 2002; and, the southwest basins were impacted more by <br />low snowpack which has resulted in four years of major drought. Mr. Gillespie said the graph <br />showed statewide to be the same with a steady decline from 2000 through 2002. <br /> <br />Don West. Division of Water Resources, Water Supply Conditions Update <br />Mr. West stated he would brief the group on the highlights of the seven basins included in his <br />handout. Some of his briefings were as follows: He said the northwest basins had the lowest <br />SWSI report numbers--the Yampa White and the Colorado basins; and, the southwest basins had <br />the largest, decreasing from last month. Mr. West reported that precipitation figures were up <br />across the state from last month's report. He said the South Platte's flow was tracking above the <br />driest year (1964), and the reservoir storage factor was below average--however, precipitation is <br />high. The Arkansas River is tracking between the driest and an average year. John Martin <br />Reservoir is at its lowest level in several decades. The Rio Grande Basin is tracking average, <br />and well use was very high in June. The Gunnison Basin lake levels are good for camping and <br />fishing this year and look good for the rest of the summer. The Colorado Basin has very high <br />fire danger at this time. The Yampa Basin irrigations levels have drawn down considerably. <br />The San Juan River flows are diminishing because of previous drought years, early snowmelt, <br />and dry weather. <br /> <br />---The following is a brief water supply conditions update. (A complete supply update was <br />distributed at the meeting and appears on the CWCB webpage at www.cwcb.state.co.us) <br /> <br />South Platte Basin <br />SWSI value (-0.6) indicates that for June the basin water supplies were slightly below nonnal. <br />Reservoir storage was 97% of normal at of the end of June. Storage levels in the major plains <br />reservoirs: Julesburg, North Sterling, and Prewitt are at 63% of capacity. Cumulative storage in <br />the major upper-basin reservoirs of Cheesman, Eleven Mile, Spinney, and Antero is at 75% of <br />capaci ty. <br /> <br />Arkansas Basin <br />SWSI value (-2.2) indicates that basin water supplies were slightly below nonnal for June. <br />Stream flows at the gaging station near Portland was 1,194 cfs, as compared to the long-tenn <br />average of 2,364 cfs. Storage in Turquoise, Twin Lakes, Pueblo, and John Martin reservoirs <br />totaled 53% of nonnal at the end of June. <br />