WSP06082

• File Number: 7630.425
• Description: Wild and Scenic - Piedra River
• State: CO
• Basin: Western Slope
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 6/1/1990
• Author: Northern Colo Water
• Title: Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Waternews - Summer 1990
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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DISTRICT UPDATE

.
C-BT Quota Set at 50 Percent

Responding to a need to refill
storage reservoirs. the NCWCD
Board of Directors set the 1990
C.ST delivery Quota at 50 percent
fOf only the second time In hIstory.
With local reservOir storage aboye
average and March snowfalls
producing record precipltallon
amounts. the Board fell it prudent to
save as much water as possible this
year 50 water would be available for
future dry years. When setting the
quota the Board also conSiders
projected water yields from
mountain snowpack. projected
runoff from streams. existing
storage In local reservOirs and
estimated year-end storage levels.

The Board's pnmary concern In
. 1990 IS the need to rebUild C-BT
reserves after a series of dry years.
lake Granby, the second largest
reservoir in the state and the C-ST"s
main West Slope collection
reserYOIf. was at Its lowest level
since the 1977-78 drought before
the spring runoff began in May.
lake Granby has not filled slOce
1986 wl!h the C-BT system
experienclOg a net loss in storage
capacity each year since.

The Board's consensus was to set a
low quota in order for C.BT reserves
to be bUilt back up.

In expresSlOg the Board's
senllments, Boulder County
representative Ray Joyce said. "I'm
inclined to save all the water we can
this year to allow the C-BT to build
up storage and prepare for some
dry years

Locallarmer Norman Boll altended
. the quota declaration meeting and
expressed the feeling held by many

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Lookmg at Lake Granby from the Wrlfow Creek Inlel Chute Photo raken May 1990 when
storage was 15% of total capacity

area farmers when he told the
Board. "I wouldn't mind a little less
water this year to make sure we
have some lor next year,R

Steve Clark, Project Manager tor
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
echoed many of the same
sentiments. He referred to the C.BT
system as a bank account
emphaSIZing the importance 01
puttlOg money back IOta the account
as the savings are depleted. The
CoST's money IS water, the bank is
the storage reservoirs.

Clark said. "A 50 percent quota will
result 10 a net gain to the C-BT year-
end storage system Anything
higher will result in a net 10ss.R

The quota declaraliOn marks only
the second time 10 34 years that the

C-BT quota has been set at 50
percent. In 1983. a very wet year, a
50 percent quota was also declared.
The Board continues to monitor
the water supply SItuation and
could IOcrease the quota later if
needed

While a low quota may result in
less water being available on the
rental market. It will allow reserves
to be built back up and encourage
the most efficient use of the water
that is available.

Board President Gordon Dykeman
summed the situahon up best
when he said, "Ideally we like to
till Granby to near capacity each
year. We can't emphasize enough
the cntlcal need for these storage
reserves to be refilled."

WATERNEWS SUMMER 1990

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