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<br />" <br /> <br />Do <br />..9 <br /> <br />COLORADO <br />WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE <br /> <br />JANUARY 2005 <br /> <br />FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER: COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES <br />ROOM 818, 1313 SHERMAN ST., DENVER, CO 80203 <br />303-866-3581; www.water.state.co.us <br /> <br />None of the SWSI values are drastically high or low, indiCating conditions around the state at the beginning of the <br />year were close to normal. January 1 snowpack was below normal in the northern mountains and above normal in the <br />southern mountains, although neither fluctuation was extreme. Some of the index stream gaging stations shown on the <br />following pages were above normal, some were below normal. Cumulative storage in the reservoirs shown in this report <br />was 89% of average on January 1. <br /> <br />Post-January 1 storms provided a large boost to the snowpack across the state. While this brightens the <br />possibilities for a good runoff next spring and summer, continued snowpack accumulation into April and spring <br />temperature and wind conditions will have a significant impact on how beneficial the runoff will be. <br /> <br />The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) developed by this office and the U.S.DA Natural Resources <br />Conservation Service is used as an indicator of mountain-based water supply conditions in the major river basins of the <br />state. It is based on snowpack, reservoir storage, and precipitation for the winter period (November through April). <br />During the winter period, snowpack is the primary component in all basins except the South Platte basin where reservoir <br />storage is given the most weight. The following SWSI values were computed for each of the seven major basins for <br />January 1, 2005, and reflect the conditions during the month of December. <br /> <br />Basin <br />South Platte <br />Arkansas <br />Rio Grande <br />Gunnison <br />Colorado <br />YampaNVhite <br />San Juan/Dolores <br /> <br />-4 <br />Severe <br />Drought <br /> <br />-2 <br />Moderate <br />Drought <br /> <br />-3 <br /> <br />January 1, 2005 <br />SWSI Value <br />+0.6 <br />-0.3 <br />+1.3 <br />+1.7 <br />. +0.2 <br />-1.2 <br />+0.8 <br /> <br />Change From <br />Previous Month <br />+O.g <br />-0.7 <br />0.0 <br />-0.7 <br />-0.3 <br />-1.0 <br />-1.0 <br /> <br />Scale <br />o <br />Near Normal <br />Supply <br /> <br />-1 <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />Change From <br />Previous Year <br />+1.4 <br />+1.5 <br />+O.g <br />+1.9 <br />+1.3 <br />-2.1 <br />+0.2 <br /> <br />2 <br />Above Normal <br />Supply <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />4 <br />Abundant <br />Supply <br />