From email from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (Ben Wade):
A Joint Water Availability & Flood Task Force meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 21 from 9:30a-12noon & will be held at the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Headquarters, 6060 Broadway, Denver in the Bighorn Room.
More CWCB coverage here.
Click here to read the latest discussion. Here’s an excerpt:
During February 2013, ENSO-neutral continued although SSTs remained below average across the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The Niño 3.4 index remained near -0.5°C, while the Niño 3 index became less negative as the month progressed. The oceanic heat content (average temperature in the upper 300m of the ocean) similarly increased during the month, largely due to the eastward push of above-average temperatures at depth. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) again contributed to increased atmospheric variability over the tropical Pacific during February. Anomalous low-level winds were primarily easterly over the west-central equatorial Pacific, while upper-level winds remained near average, but with some intra-monthly variability. Over Indonesia, anomalous convection remained enhanced north of the equator and suppressed south of the equator. Due to the lack of persistent atmosphere-ocean coupling, the tropical Pacific continues to reflect ENSO-neutral.
Click on the thumbnail graphic for January’s significant events. Click here to go to NOAA’s State of the Climate page. Here’s an excerpt:
Climate Highlights — January
The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during January was 32.0°F, 1.6°F above the 20th century average, tying with 1958 as the 39th warmest January on record. January brought warmer-than-average conditions to the eastern half of the contiguous U.S., despite several cold air outbreaks. The largest warm temperature departures from average were in the Southeast, where Georgia and Florida both had their 11th warmest January with monthly temperatures 5.7°F and 5.6°F above average, respectively. Below-average temperatures were anchored in the western United States. Nevada had its ninth coolest January on record, with a monthly temperature 5.9°F below average, and Utah had its eighth coolest January, with temperatures 7.5°F below average. The January nationally-averaged precipitation total of 2.36 inches was 0.14 inch above the long-term average. The January precipitation average masked both wet and dry extremes across the nation. Drought conditions remained entrenched across the Southeast, Great Plains, and the mountainous West. Wetter-than-average conditions stretched from the Southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, where Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Michigan, and Virginia each had January precipitation totals ranking among their ten wettest. The above-average precipitation generally missed the core drought areas of the central and southeastern United States. Drier-than-average conditions were observed along the West Coast, the central Rockies, and parts of the Northern Plains, Southeast, and Northeast. California, Connecticut, and Florida each had one of their ten driest Januarys. According to data from the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the January snow cover extent for the contiguous U.S. was slightly above average at 1.4 million square miles. Mountain snowpack was near-average for much of the West, with the exceptions in parts of the Northwest where snowpack was much above average, and in the Central and Southern Rockies where snowpack was much below average. Alaska was warmer and wetter than average. The statewide average temperature was 7.1°F above average and the precipitation total was 64 percent above average. Parts of the state had monthly temperatures more than 10°F above normal. According to the January 29th U.S. Drought Monitor report, 57.7 percent of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing moderate-to-exceptional drought, smaller than the 61.1 percent at the beginning of the month. Drought conditions improved in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-Mississippi River Valley.
***Significant Mountain Snowfall Friday into Saturday*** A warm, dry southwest flow will be overhead today with mi twitpic.com/c9b5vz
— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) March 7, 2013
Evening models continue to limit impact of weekend storm south of HWY 24/I-70.Storm speeding up too with biggest impact Sat PM/Night #cowx
— Brian Bledsoe (@BrianBledsoe) March 7, 2013
Storm moving too fast and moving too far north to bring any significant moisture to the SE Plains. Showers yes, but not drought relief #cowx
— Brian Bledsoe (@BrianBledsoe) March 7, 2013
From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dennis Webb):
With time running out to play catch-up, Colorado’s snowpack remains well below average, increasing only nominally last month, the Natural Resources Conservation Service said Tuesday. Storm systems boosted the state average to 73 percent of normal on March 1, compared to 71 percent as of Jan. 1 and Feb. 1. But it was just 83 percent of the level at this time during the dry winter of 2011-12.
“The most recent streamflow forecasts continue to point towards well below normal volumes for this spring and summer in all the major river basins in Colorado. Reservoir storage across the state remains well below average, at just 71 percent of average as of March 1” and 67 percent of the same time a year ago, the NRCS added in a news release.
Reservoir levels generally were much higher a year ago but storage was drawn down because of the poor snowpack a year ago.
“Unless Colorado sees weather patterns in March that bring well above average snowfall and precipitation to the state, there will not be much relief from the current drought conditions,” the agency said. February storms benefited most basins in the state, but not all, it said.
The combined San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan basins’ March 1 snowpack was 83 percent, compared to 88 percent a month earlier. The South Platte Basin showed the largest increase, hitting 63 percent of normal, up from 54 percent a month earlier. The Colorado Basin is at 70 percent of normal and 86 percent of the same time a year ago. For the Gunnison, those figures are 74 and 87 percent, respectively. The Yampa/White is at 76 percent of average; the Rio Grande, 79 percent; and the Arkansas, 71 percent.
Reservoir storage levels range from just 53 percent of average in the Rio Grande Basin to 106 percent for the Yampa/White.
From Steamboat Today (Tom Ross):
More than 150 people, many of them farmers and ranchers faced with the possibility a second straight season of extreme drought, squeezed into the Steamboat Springs Community Center on Tuesday night to learn how to get along in a new era of limited water for irrigating hay and watering stock.
Division 6 water engineer Erin Light told the gathering it could be worse. “We really are fortunate up here in the Yampa Basin that we really have had the water we’ve needed,” Light said. “We’re just now beginning to see the beginning of administration” on the rivers and their tributaries…
Andy Rossi, of the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, said his agency had put together a mini-grant program that could offer a 50 percent cost share and pay as much as $500 per structure for installation of adequate water-measuring devices. Learn more at http://www.upperyampawater.com.
And Light said she is working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Upper Yampa District to tap into Parks and Wildlife water stores in Steamboat Lake reservoir specifically to be able to offer water augmentation plans to irrigators. It would offer some the ability to use more water than they otherwise would be entitled to by contracting with Upper Yampa District to release some of the augmentation water on its way to the thirsty Elk. Her office can be reached at 970-879-0272.
From The Greeley Tribune:
February finally brought cool and wet weather to Greeley after months of warm and dry, and 2013 is now above average for moisture. Precipitation in February amounted to 0.99 inches, which is 0.59 inches above average, and snowfall piled up to 8.9 inches, 4.5 inches above normal…
Through the first two months of 2013, precipitation amounted to 1.07 inches, 0.19 inches above normal and standing as the 15th-wettest year on record so far. However, for the entire snow season, which goes back to the fall, snowfall is still behind pace.
Before storms in February, Greeley experienced little snow this past fall and winter. Seasonal snowfall this year so far is 19.5 inches, which is 7.6 inches below normal, and stands as sixth-least snowy season on record.
From email from the Middle Colorado River Watershed Partnership:
Our next Partners meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 20th from 8:45 to 11:15 AM at the City of Glenwood Springs wastewater treatment facility. We will be touring the newly constructed plant to see how a modern, state-of-the-art wastewater facility operates, including examining the quality of water that comes in and goes out of the plant, and controls that are in place to protect the quality of discharge released back to the Colorado River. In comparison, we will also look at how small, backyard wastewater treatment systems are designed, what’s important to keep them functioning, and how they have the potential to affect our watershed.
The facility is located in West Glenwood, west of the exit and on the south side of the Colorado River. From the I-70 exit at West Glenwood, turn right into the roundabout and exit onto Midland heading south. Take the first right-hand turn off of Midland onto Wulfsohn Road. The entrance to the facility is an immediate right-hand turn off of Wulfsohn Road, down a long drive that travels west along the river.
This meeting is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by [sending email to midcoriver@gmail.com], so that we can plan accordingly or contact you in the case of a weather cancellation. Hope to see you there!
From email from the Colorado Water Trust:
Request for Water is a water leasing program that benefits both water users and the environment. A 2003 Colorado state statute enables CWT in collaboration with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to lease water for streams on short notice to protect the environment. This tool for rewatering streams under Colorado’s Instream Flow Program has been available since 2003, but CWT was the first to use the statute to add water to streams during drought conditions in 2012. CWT intends to lease water for environmental benefits again this year; the March 1st snow report indicates that snowpack is again below average. Many rivers and streams may see shortages for a second year in a row and for some in Colorado, the dry spell has been much longer. Request for Water also addresses the financial needs of Colorado’s water users by compensating owners for the temporary use of their water rights. We are excited to offer water users the opportunity to both protect Colorado’s natural heritage and generate revenue—lease your water for instream flow use, receive compensation, and grow a crop of fish habitat.
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The Colorado Water Trust is seeking water rights for short-term lease for environmental benefits during what many expect to be a drought year.
In 2012, the trust piloted a water leasing program in partnership with the Colorado Water Conservation Board along with other state and federal agencies to negotiate four unprecedented short-term water leases under a 2003 Colorado state statute. There were 94 offers of water rights, which were narrowed down to 13 after an engineering review. Water from six rights were packaged into four leases that provided flows in 190 miles of streams.
“When we launched the Request for Water 2012 pilot program, asking water users to lease water in a way that had never been tried, we didn’t know exactly what to expect,” said Amy Beatie, executive director of the Colorado Water Trust. “We’re starting earlier this year.”
“The CWCB is looking forward to partnering on short-term leases with the trust and water users this year,” said Linda Bassi, chief of the CWCB’s stream and lake protection section. “The leased water provides significant benefits to Colorado’s streams and the public.”
The water trust is working with basin roundtables, water districts, land trusts, and other entities and organizations to schedule presentations about the program.
More instream flow coverage here.
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
John McKowen admits paying higher prices for water to grow crops arouses suspicion that the end game might be marketing the water. But he thinks that in coming years, the smart money will be on farmers, not developers. “I think agriculture can be the economic engine that promotes a more efficient use of water,” McKowen, CEO of Two Rivers Water and Farming Co., told The Pueblo Chieftain editorial board Wednesday. “The price of water is going up, and it promotes more efficient use when you pay the true cost of water.”
McKowen waved aside any suggestions that the company he started three years ago wants to do anything besides make money from its farming operations. “I have no interest in being in the water marketing business,” McKowen said. That said, he is interested in working on an arrangement with Colorado Springs Utilities and the Pueblo Board of Water Works to store water in reservoirs he plans to build on the Excelsior Ditch east of Pueblo. He would like to use excess municipal water to grow even more crops, in return for providing storage space to help the cities recover yield lost in providing Arkansas River flows through Pueblo. The reservoir sites McKowen wants to develop are in the same location identified for the recovery of yield program in 2005.
Two Rivers’ business plan involves supporting about 30,000 acres of vegetable crops either through direct ownership, leasing land or marketing for other growers, McKowen said. Vegetable crops have the potential for producing higher profits than the hay and corn, which are most widely grown in the Arkansas Valley. “A 400-acre farm could net $2,000 per acre rather than grossing $1,500 an acre,” McKowen said. “What’s hard to envision is that there will be a renaissance in agriculture.”
McKowen is primarily a businessman, and was successful in an Internet startup venture in the late 1990s and a South American oil venture a few years later. He became interested in farming after realizing a global food shortage is looming as population grows. The Arkansas Valley has the right climate, and with proper infrastructure could become a major vegetable growing region, he said. “People are naturally and reasonably suspicious,” McKowen said. “All we’re interested in is growing the number of farms we have on the Bessemer Ditch and the Huerfano-Cucharas Ditch system.”