DWR_4151869

• Title: JUNE 1995 SWSI: COLORADO WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE, SURFACE WATER SUPPLY INDEX
• Year: 1995
• Document Type - Publications and Reports: SWSI Monthly Report

yJ �
r
COLORADO BASIN
Basinwide Conditions Assessment:
While the SWSI value of-1.5 indicates that for May COLORADO RIVER BASIN
he basin water supplies were below normal,supplies actually 5 Surface Witer Supply Index History
appear adequate. Storage in Green Mountain, Ruedi, and ,
Williams Fork reservoirs totaled 112% of normal on May 31.
Flow at the gaging station Colorado River near Dotsero 3• 3 i i
- ,:.:_ri i
averaged 2,647 cfs as compared to the 1961-1993 May 2 iili II ,
average of 4,509 cfs. The National Weather Service computes i lama
basin precipitation as 284%of normal during the month. The g D 1I1"I11 _ I J. �rr., , _..
Natural Resources Conservation Service reports June 1 - '"� : w • "r `= ;ii i
snowpack as 304% of normal. III
a I. , '. ,. ~ r J•ti , III
The flow at the Colorado-Utah state line on May 31 D - ;'
was 20,100 cfs. For comparison, the high flow for the year 3
1993 was 44,000 cfs which occurred on May 28, and the high _, .................................................................._..................................
JAN86 JAN87 JAN88 JAN89 JANSO JAN91 JAN92 JAN93 JAN94 JAN95
flow in 1984 was 68,300 cfs occurring on May 27. AONTW YEAR
Administrative/Management Concerns
Rifle Gap Reservoir (decreed capacity 13,601 AF)
filled and spilled early in June. Since the spill,more than 125
cfs has been running in Rifle Creek below the reservoir. At COLORADO RIVER NR. DOTSERO
the end of May, Plateau Creek was running more than 1,500 3.2 FLOW 89 WATER YEAR
cfs with a gradual snow melt filling Vega Reservoir. The 3
2.8
snowpack in the Crystal River basin is 601% of normal based 2.6
on three reliable SNOTEL sites, each with different elevations s 2 4 .
and site orientations. Snowpack on Scofield Pass (measuring a 2
60 inches of water) is turning into a glacier. Localized ;e
f 18 _ _
flooding is occurring on the side tributaries of the Blue River W v ,.,
�
above Dillon reservoir. '2
u 0.8
Public Use Impacts D 6 I fir_
High flows will equate to excitement and adventure D 0.2
for rafters and kayakers. D
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March A1rkl Mpy June July Aug Sept
WCNTH
❑ WET(1984) O DRY(1977) A AVG X 1995
REPRESENTATIVE RESERVOIRS
COLORADO RIVER BASIN
90
80—70 /
v
• BD Xa
o c 50—/ p2/\\\\
a
or ,D
MIL; /\\
7, 30 /\
e
7
20
" ,/„../..;\,\\
Green Mounteln Ruedl Wlllloas Fork
® Avg. 5/31 Germania ® 5/31,95 Contents
7