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COLORADO <br /> WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS UPDATE <br /> ROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER; COIARADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES , October, 1998 <br /> .00M 818,1313 SHERMAN S T.,DENVER,CO 80203; (3303)-866-3581 <br /> The end of September brought the end of the 1998 water year which began on October 1, 1997. The beginning of <br /> each new water year starts a new accounting cycle and prompts consideration for what next year's water supplies will be, <br /> including a look at the winter stream flows, the amount of reservoir storage that will be carried over to next spring, and <br /> anticipation of the start of the winter snowpack. Most irrigation is curtailed by the end of September, with only some <br /> perennial crops such as pasture, hay, or alfalfa being irrigated into October. <br /> A look at the previous water year's SWSI values shows that the SWSI values for most basins fluctuated about zero. <br /> Exceptions were the South Platte basin which continued its normal pattern of higher values, and the Yampa/White basin <br /> which shows a distinct dry 1997-98 winter shifting to a wet 1998 summer. Review of the year's stream flow graphs included <br /> in this report show no large departures from average stream flow levels. Reservoir storage is generally near average going <br /> into the winter. <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 October 1, 1998 and reflect <br /> conditions during the month of September. <br /> October 1, 1998 Change From Change From <br /> Basin SWSI Value Previous Month Previous Year <br /> South Platte 2.9 -0.5 -1.0 <br /> Arkansas 0.4 -0.9 -0.9 <br /> Rio Grande 0.4 +0.5 -2.2 <br /> Gunnison 0.9 +2.3 -1.8 <br /> Colorado 1.7 -1.5 -2.0 <br /> Yampa/White 1.8 -0.9 -2.4 <br /> San Juan/Dolores -0.4 -0.5 -4.2 <br /> • <br /> SCALE <br /> -4 -3 -2 -1 a +1 +2 +3 +4 <br /> Severe Moderate Near Normal Above Normal Abundant <br /> Drought Drought Supply Supply Supply <br /> 1 <br />