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SOUTH PLATTE BASIN <br /> Basinwide Conditions Assessment: <br /> The SWSI value of-0.7 indicates that for January the SOUTH PLATTE R I V E R BA S I N <br /> basin water supplies were slightly below normal. Reservoir Surface Water Supply r ndex H I story <br /> storage, the key component in this basin in computing the <br /> SWSI value, was 107% of normal on January 31. Storage in 3 - <br /> the major plains reservoirs, Julesburg, North Sterling, and <br /> - <br /> Prewitt, increased by 16,816 acre-feet during December and ' <br /> are at 70% of capacity. Storage in the major upper basin —2 <br /> reservoirs, Cheesman, Eleven Mile, Spinney, and Antero, <br /> decreased by 4,159 acre-feet and are at 82%of capacity. The z - <br /> Natural Resources Conservation Service reports February 1 <br /> snowpack as 55% of normal. The mean daily flow of the <br /> Ili/ <br /> South Platte River at the Kersey gage was 614 cfs, as - <br /> compared to the 1961-1993 January average of 774 cfs. Flow o u <br /> at the Colorado/Nebraska state line averaged 233 cfs. The JAN96 J""°' JAN°° JAN1' l900N H/YJAN91 AN92 JAN93 J'°S' JAN95 <br /> National Weather Service computes basin precipitation as 58% <br /> of normal during the month. <br /> The month of January had little precipitation <br /> and unseasonably warm weather. Flow conditions continued <br /> to be close to normal on the main stem of the South Platte SOUTH PLATTE RIVER N R . K E R S E Y <br /> below the Kersey gage. Storage in the plains reservoirs FLOW BY WATER YEAR <br /> increased significantly during the month with the main stem s� <br /> South Platte agricultural reservoirs increasing storage by a <br /> 400 <br /> cumulative of over 40,000 acre-feet and ending the month at d <br /> 71%of capacity. Tributary streams were all flowing at lower <br /> than normal levels and storage on the tributary reservoirs o I 9 <br /> 06 <br /> progressed much slower than on the main stem. The filling g <br /> of all reservoirs has been aided by the unusually warm <br /> weather during January. <br /> Q <br /> 100 <br /> Outlook <br /> The outlook for the next runoff season is guarded, �t "°" DK MONTH Jan `n mainly due to the lack of water and snow in the tributary WET [1983) .. DRY (146,I) _,F AVG +1995 <br /> basins. <br /> Administrative/Management Concerns <br /> Due to low flow in the North Fork of Clear Creek it <br /> remains difficult for the town of Black Hawk to obtain their REPRESENTAT I VE RESERVO I RS <br /> sou <br /> decreed water rights and meet the needs of the town. 220 "PLATTE BAsl N SUPPLY <br /> The relatively dry conditions of last summer have put <br /> additional stress on augmentation plans relying on recharge 180 <br /> to replace depletions caused by wells. Continued dry i 160 <br /> conditions this spring and summer would jeopardize the 140 <br /> successful operation of those plans. However, early spring ' 12D <br /> rain would have the opposite effect and greatlyenhance those h 10D <br /> PP /� <br /> operations. ! AThere is some possibility that USGS stream gaging7/\ / \ <br /> activities will be severely reduced or entirely curtailed due to ,D /\ <br /> federal budget cutting. The Division of Water Resources will A <br /> be workingto identifycritical USGS stations that provide a DI I Ion Nors/toOtn EIS en MI I• ClriNprn ,Yckron 6nrr Lake <br /> needed information in the event that those stations will no <br /> longer be operated by the USGS. Every effort will be made to ® "v° 1131 Contents ® 1/91/95 Content• <br /> continue operating the critical stations. Cooperative <br /> arrangements with affected water users could be helpful. <br /> 3 <br />