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~ ~\ <br />~/ <br />g•d <br />AZr JUMPS, The Coloradoan, Friday, November 23, 2001, www,coloradoan.com <br />Drought <br />Continued from Page Al <br />'Re's way too early to declare <br />whether there willbeashortageof <br />water and what thesnovvpadtwdl i <br />be;' said Brian Weiner, a <br />spokesman for the water district <br />"We done get worked into a panic <br />wdl after tfx fi[u of the year. You <br />have [o remember that our <br />wettest months are March and <br />April <br />"But 1 will say we've got otu <br />ftrtgers Cro65ed-,• <br />Weiner and water distritt offi- <br />cials have goad reason to cross <br />their fuigers. lake Granby has <br />seen its endof-seasonwaterleveLs <br />decGrx for the past two years in <br />harmony with warmer weather <br />and lower than »orrrsal snow- <br />pacl¢ <br />The water distritt draws Gam <br />[he Colorado-Sig Thompsoq or <br />CST, system, which encompasses <br />ll trservo'us including Lorimer <br />County's Horsetooth pinewood <br />and Flatiron reservoirs and Carter <br />S.ake.Tbe average level of the )eke <br />at the end of the water-nuutu+g <br />season (Oct 31) is 405,000 acre <br />feet At present fake Granby has <br />284,000 aae feet of water, its low- <br />~l kvel since 19T/. <br />That's important because the <br />water district which serves 30 <br />cities and towels, 2500 irydividual <br />a8otees (mostly farmers) and 120 <br />ditch and irrigation cornpariles, <br />delivers anrfowth to one-third of <br />the quire water supply to taorth- <br />east Coloradq Weiner said <br />"We definitely need some <br />snow this winter, because we <br />want to stop the dovmward spiral <br />land replenish the supply);' <br />Weiner said "We sure don t want <br />to go back-to-back-to-back <br />drought years." <br />• <br />l1M~-~ <br />dZiT-b6b-OL6 <br />Why weather and water experts are concerned... <br />Fagots agree [n rt Fon CoAVtt and rmsl of NoMem Cdorado nave oan eWenencing <br />a drought for tt a sl two years. They point to lower than normal precgnalion. <br />lower Than nonul snowparJ~ ono warmer tNn normal temperatures as reasons <br />tw trio drougnt <br />Local <br />The average pn:[ipitalion (rain and snow) for Fan <br />Calker a 15.12 inches. a~ytnlnp agave 20 inches <br />is corrsitlered a prwt year. Here are precipltatmn <br />totals at the erx of me water year (Seel. 30) for Otfl <br />past seven years. <br />23.97 23.75 <br />7o ,.-M 7~~-ter'- -ate - <br /> <br />Temperatures <br />Ezper~ say mere were <br />more 90-0epree days <br />in Fan Cdlku m 2000 <br />and 2001 than arty <br />Omer two-year period <br />on rtxord. Tpe <br />average for 90-degree <br />days is 19 Per year. <br />1995 199~i 1997 1998 1999 2000 <br />Sourtr: CaWrade ~.limare Omer <br />Snowpack <br />Armpe 2000 201 <br />Sourte: aaovMiiv States <br />Ir4irner SernTt <br />Laye Granby supplies sv7terfor me Colorado-Big Thompson vrdter project The <br />wafer stored in lake Granby is 6rrlught unOn the Rocky Mountains to Estes Park <br />and Iraraferred eastward into a seder of reservoirs - indudinp Harsetoolh <br />Reurwlr and Csner lake-For use try 30 ckles and (owns. 2.500 mtlividtels <br />(mtlstty IarmersJ antl 1T0 tldeh area udpatgn companies The nigh coult~srmwpack <br />hhaa5s destined sipndtcardfy during the past tyro drouprn years relkcled the end <br />historKal average end of water running urimer roomy <br />season level Is a 05,000 acre leel. <br />sa,dog concarwe~, <br />382 pgp Lake <br />£ - ----2a4,0g0 GrandOy tmuana ~7 <br />Wele fauory <br />`1 Enna Ceumr <br />Arenas 19P T000 200[ <br />$OertY: A'aMem C Np'atb ahfN ranserrancy Drslnn <br />uau9a~g uyo(• d80~b0 TO bZ nou <br />