FLOOD08626

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: The Colorado Satellite-Linked Water Resources Monitoring System
• Date: 1/1/1985
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Prepared By: State Engineer
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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The Office of the State Engineer has discussed with the Soil Conservation

Service-Central Forecast Center (Portland, Oregon) the potential to input

SNOTEL data for Colorado directly into the system's data base. Although the

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state's receive system cannot receive SNOTEL data transmissions, the processed

data can be transferred daily to Colorado by computer.to-computer link. This

would be eKtremely useful in assessing current snowpack conditions and

short-term runoff.

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The ability to extract information from the enormous amounts of real-time

data being collected can be enhanced through the development of more sophis-

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ticated software. Currently, several Division offices are developing various
water resources accounting programs. Programs in the area of short-term fore-
casting are of special interest. Program development will come slow over the
next one to two years but will gradually increase momentum.

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F. Monitoring System Network

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The real-time hydrologic data collection network operated by the State of

Colorado is comprised of 151 stations. These stations were selected by the

State Engineer, Division Engineers, and Water Commissioners with an emphasis

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on the need for real-time data for water rights administration. The following

is a tabulation of the location of these stations by division/river basin:

Division 1 / South Platte River Basin, 34 stations

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Division 2 / Arkansas River Basin, 43 stations

Division 3 / Rio Grande Basin, 17 stations

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