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COLORADO WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER; COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES January 1996 LOOM 818,1313 SHERMAN ST.,DENVER,CO 80203; (303)-866-3581 The SWSI values indicate that water supplies are lowest in the southern mountains of the state. This trend follows the low snowpack reported in the Rio Grande basin,the Gunnison basin,and the Dolores/Animas/San Juan basin. Only the South Platte and Yampa/White basins had an above average snowpack as of the first of the year. The Natural Resources Conservation Service reports that statewide, the January 1 snowpack is 80% of normal. Reservoir storage continues to be good, with all basins reporting above average reservoir levels. The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) developed by this office and the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service is used as an indicator of mountain based water supply conditions in the major river basins of the state. It is based on snowpack,reservoir storage, and precipitation for the winter period (November through April). During the winter period snowpack is the primary component in all basins except the South Platte basin where reservoir storage is given the most weight. The following SWSI values were computed for each of the seven major basins for January 1, 1996 and reflect conditions during the month of December. January 1, 1996 Change From Change From Basin SWSI Value Previous Month Previous Year South Platte +2.9 0.0 +3.5 Arkansas -0.5 -1.3 +0.2 Rio Grande -3.5 +0.2 -5.5 Gunnison -2.3 +0.5 -4.0 Colorado +1.7 -0.6 +2.5 Yampa/White -0.7 -2.4 +0.2 • San Juan/Dolores -2.7 +0.5 -4.3. SCALE -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 Severe Moderate Near Normal Above Normal Abundant Drought Drought Supply Supply Supply