Laserfiche WebLink
<br />S'J <br /> <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 />MAY 2005 <br /> <br />All major drainage basins have a better water supply than they did last year, including the South Platte Basin in <br />spite of its lower SWSI value (snowpack, stream flow, and reservoir storage are better in the South Platte basin than they <br />were at this time last year). Cumulative storage for all the reservoirs graphed in this report is 97% of average. Statewide <br />snowpack is 99% of average. The southern portion of the state is above average in both current snowpack and <br />forecasted runoff, while the northern portion of the state is below average in both of those areas. Given the conditions in <br />the north, the state as a whole cannot be said to be out of the drought that it has experienced for approximately the last 5 <br />years. <br /> <br />During the latter part of April temperatures cooled and many basins received precipitation. These factors tend to <br />benefit many water users by hopefully delaying the overail runoff, and reducing the call by senior water rights allowing <br />junior water right holders more opportunity to take water (in particular reservoirs often have relatively junior rights). A <br />delayed runoff, especially into June and July, generally benefits irrigators by providing more water when crops have a <br />higher demand for water due to the higher temperatures and longer days during those months. <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 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 May <br />1, 2005, and reflect the conditions during the month of April. <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 />May 1, 2005 <br />SWSI Value <br />-0.2 <br />-1.4 <br />+2.7 <br />+2.7 <br />-0.1 <br />-2.3 <br />+1.5 <br /> <br />Change From <br />Previous Month <br />+0.1 <br />-0.1 <br />-0.5 <br />+0.1 <br />+0.3 <br />-0.1 <br />-0.8 <br /> <br />-1 <br /> <br />Scale <br />o <br />Near Normal <br />Supply <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />Change From <br />Previous Year <br />-0.7 <br />+0.7 <br />+1.9 <br />+2.2 <br />+2.0 <br />+0.8 <br />+0.7 <br /> <br />2 <br />Above Normal <br />Supply <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />4 <br />Abundant <br />Supply <br />