Laserfiche WebLink
<br />89% of average. Water year totals, now for the eight months since October I, are remain <br />generally below average across most of the state. Only the southwestern portion of the <br />state is above average. Both the Rio Grande and the combined San Juan, Animas, Dolores, <br />and San Miguel basins are reporting 106% of average water year totals. The remaining <br />basins range from 85% of average in the Yampa and White, and the Colorado basins, to <br />96% if average in the Arkansas Basin. Statewide, the water year total now stands at 93% <br />of average. While 200 I may seem like a dry year to many Coloradoans, our conditions are <br />far better than those states north and west of us. Some locations in these states are seeing <br />record low precipitation totals along with signi ticant growing season impacts. <br /> <br />Reservoir Storage <br /> <br />Colorado's reservoir storage continues to slowly improve each month. Now, the state's <br />reservoir storage is 115% of average. This is the highest percent of average volume since <br />last July I, but is 84% of last year's storage on June 1. Storage is above average in all <br />basins except the South Platte, at 96%, and the San Juan, Animas, Dolores, and San <br />Miguel, at 95% of average. The highest volumes, as a percentage of average, continue to <br />be reported in the Arkansas Basin at 165% of average. This year's volumes remain lower <br />than last year in all basins except the Yampa and White, at 103% of last year, and the Rio <br />Grande, at 106% of average. This most significant aspect of reservoir storage lor most <br />water users is this year's volume as compared to last year at this time. Current statewide <br />storage is at 3,972,300 acre-feet, while last year's total volume on this date was 4,762,800 <br />acre-feet. The difference being nearly 790,000 acre-feet less water available to water users <br />this year. <br /> <br />Streamflow <br /> <br />Dry weather during May has resulted in further reductions in the anticipated runoff across <br />most of Colorado. Forecasts of less than 70% of average volumes now occur in the <br />Yampa, White, North Platte, and most of the Gunnison Basin. Meanwhile toward the other <br />extreme, most of the Rio Grande and. San Juan basins are expected to !low at above <br />average volumes this summer. A number of smaller tributaries in the Rio Grande and San <br />Juan basins are also expected to produce near average volumes as well. The lowest <br />forecasts, which range from about 45% to 60% of average, occur along Illany of the <br />tributary streams in the Yampa, North Platte, and Cache La Poudre basins across northern <br />Colorado. In addition, a number of tributaries in the Gunnison Basin are also expected to <br />produce volumes in this range. In many respects this year's runoff is similar to that of last <br />year. However, one significant difference in this year's conditions is the lack of surplus <br />water stored in reservoirs. Should the state have another hot and dry summer as last year, <br />many water users will face greater impacts than last year. <br />