Laserfiche WebLink
COLORADO <br /> WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE <br /> ROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER; COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES November, 1998 <br /> DOM 818,1313 SHERMAN ST.,DENVER,CO 80003; (303)-866-3581 <br /> The month of October began the 1999 water year which starts a new accounting cycle and prompts consideration <br /> for what next year's water supplies will be. This includes looking at the winter stream flows,the amount of reservoir storage <br /> that will be carried over to next spring, and perhaps most importantly, anticipation of the start of the winter snowpack. <br /> October 1998 saw generally adequate water supplies for fall. All seven major stream basins in the state had the month's <br /> SWSI values above zero, as well as above normal precipitation amounts. <br /> The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) developed by this office and the U.S.D.A.Natural Resources Conservation <br /> Service is used as an indicator of mountain based water supply conditions in the major river basins of the state. It is based <br /> on stream flow, reservoir storage, and precipitation for the summer period (May through October). During the summer <br /> period stream flow is the primary component in all basins except the South Platte basin where reservoir storage is given the <br /> most weight. The following SWSI values were computed for each of the seven major basins for November 1, 1998 and reflect <br /> conditions during the month of October. <br /> November 1, 1998 Change From Change From <br /> Basin SWSI Value Previous Month Previous Year <br /> South Platte 3.2 +0.3 -0.7 <br /> Arkansas 1.8 +1.4 -0.7 <br /> Rio Grande 1.2 +0.8 -2.5 <br /> Gunnison 0.5 -0.4 -2.3 • <br /> Colorado 1.9 +0.2 -1.9 <br /> Yampa/White 2.8 +1.0 -1.0 <br /> San Juan/Dolores 0.5 +0.9 -2.7 <br /> SCALE <br /> -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 <br /> Severe Moderate Near Normal Above Normal Abundant <br /> Drought Drought Supply Supply Supply <br /> 1 <br />