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<br />COLORADO
<br />WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE
<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 />January 2006
<br />
<br />While statewide the January 1 snowpack is at 104% of average, the amounts vary significantly from basin to
<br />basin, which is not uncommon, Snowpack in northern mountains is abundant, with the Yampa-White, Colorado, and
<br />South Plalle basins having 134%, 133%, and 132% of average respectively, The southern mountains, however, have
<br />very low snowpack, with the Rio Grande and San Juan-Dolores basins having 34% and 47% of average respectively,
<br />Time remains for the southern mountains to add to the snowpack, but it is unlikely that an average snowpack will be
<br />reached, and these values do not bode well for spring runoff and the summer's water supply,
<br />
<br />Cumulative storage for the reservoirs graphed in this report is 101 % of average, Stream flows are at low winter
<br />base flow levels, with some indexed stream flows above average, and some below,
<br />
<br />The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) developed by this office and the U.S.D,A, 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 Plalle 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, 2006, and reflect the conditions during the month of December 2005,
<br />
<br />Basin
<br />South Platte
<br />Arkansas
<br />Rio Grande
<br />Gunnison
<br />Colorado
<br />YampalWhite
<br />San Juan/Dolores
<br />
<br />-4
<br />Severe
<br />Drought
<br />
<br />,3
<br />
<br />,2
<br />Moderate
<br />Drought
<br />
<br />January 1, 2006
<br />SWSI Value
<br />1,9
<br />3,3
<br />-2,7
<br />2,0
<br />3,6
<br />1,9
<br />,1,7
<br />
<br />Change From
<br />Previous Month
<br />+0.9
<br />+1.0
<br />+0.2
<br />+3,8
<br />+0,9
<br />+1,8
<br />+0,0
<br />
<br />Scale
<br />o
<br />Near Normal
<br />Supply
<br />
<br />-1
<br />
<br />1
<br />
<br />Change From
<br />Previous Year
<br />+1,3
<br />+3,6
<br />,4,0
<br />+0,3
<br />+3.4
<br />+3,1
<br />-2,5
<br />
<br />2
<br />Above Normal
<br />Supply
<br />
<br />3
<br />
<br />4
<br />Abundant
<br />Supply
<br />
<br />IO\:'
<br />
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