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COLORADO WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER; COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES January 1995 ROOM 818,1313 SHERMAN ST.,DENVER,CO 80203; (303)-866-3581 As of January 1, 1995,the mountains in the southwestern drainage basins of the state have above normal snow pack, with the snow pack in the remainder of the mountain drainage basins being below average. The Natural Resources Conservation Service reports that statewide the snow pack averaged 109% of normal on the first of the year. These snow pack conditions are reflected in the positive and negative SWSI values for the respective basins given below. In general, reservoir storage amounts remain relatively good throughout most of the state. The National Weather Service's 90 day outlook as of January 1 shows expectations for slightly below normal temperature and above normal precipitation over the entire state. Most water users would desire this expectation to prove accurate because it would tend to result in higher snowfall over the next three months. 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 on January 1, 1995 and reflect conditions during the month of December. January 1, 1995 Change From Change From Basin SWSI Value Previous Month Previous Year South Platte -0.6 -0.6 -2.4 Arkansas -0.7 -2.8 -0.7 Rio Grande +2.0 -1.1 +3.2 Gunnison +1.7 -0.6 +2.6 Colorado -0.8 -1.7 -2.1 Yampa/White -0.9 -1.7 -0.9 San Juan/Dolores +1.6 -1.4 +3.4 SCALE -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 Severe Moderate Near Normal Above Normal Abundant Drought Drought Supply Supply Supply 1