From the Greeley Tribune (Jakob Rodgers):

The Water Festival on Wednesday helped to educate students about water use as about 1,100 children from across Weld and Adams counties converged on the University Center at the University of Northern Colorado to learn more about proper water conservation. The event, which was sponsored by the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District and the city of Greeley, operated under the theme of “Wild About Water” to educate children about how water use and the environment are connected while also instructing them how to save water in their own house.

After visiting several booths, Sydney Schultz, 10, of Eaton Elementary School, lamented that such conservation efforts are often viewed as a tough thing to do. “It’s kind of hard because America today is kind of lazy about what they are doing, and we’re careless,” Sydney said.

Update: More coverage from the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Third-graders studied river and lake ecology, water-related hypothermia and using water to put out fires at the 18th annual Children’s Water Festival held at CSU’s Lory Student Center. “We want them to learn about water,” said Brian Werner, spokesman for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, one of the sponsors of the event. “That can be anything from where your water comes from to conservation methods.” At one station, students put their hands in ice-cold water and learned how quickly hypothermia can set in. “It’s cold, and you’ve got to wear your life jacket in the lake,” said Zach Hupfer, 9, a third-grade student at Johnson Elementary School.

From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dave Buchanan):

This year’s runoff is affected by the layers of dust on the snowpack, something you’ll still see in the West Elks, South San Juans and other mountain ranges. Chris Landry of the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies in Silverton said the conditions this winter and spring correlated closely with 2006, when at least eight dust layers were buried in the snowpack. A warm spring quickly uncovered those dust layers and hurried snow melt. “That spring, we calculated snow melt advanced a full four to five weeks in our study area” in the San Juan Mountains, Landry said. “This year so far, we have counted at least 12 dust events and three very major dust events, which are now coming into play in a really intense way.” For water managers, that means the runoff, which normally (if normal ever exists in natural sciences) comes heavy in the spring and continues at lower rates for much of the summer, may be gone by early summer. Dan Crabtree, lead hydrologist for the Bureau of Reclamation in Grand Junction, noted Thursday that the expected volume of water in the Gunnison Basin this year was about the same as historic average, but the timing and intensity of runoff is much different. “We went about two weeks ahead of what that the (National Weather Service) Forecast Center told us the first of April,” Crabtree said…

The Bureau Web site (www.usbr.gov/ uc/) Thursday showed Blue Mesa reservoir as 77 percent full, a level usually not seen until later in the runoff period and a level that’s 150 percent of average on this date. Not surprisingly, Crystal Reservoir was listed at 108 percent full, which is why there’s water pouring over the dam. That glut of water came as a bit of a surprise, one reason for the sudden jump in flows on the Gunnison. Seasonal high flows are part of the water right for the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, but it’s supposed to be a gradual rise and gradual drop. “Yeah, Wednesday it happened quicker than we wanted,” said Crabtree, sounding a bit rueful. “We have these guidelines (from the Division of Wildlife) and we try to follow them, but it’s more complicated than turning on your faucet at home.” The Crystal Dam was forecast to stop spilling Saturday morning. You can watch the change in river flows statewide at http://www.dwr.state.co.us/SurfaceWater/Default.aspx.

From the GOAT (Jonathan Thompson):

In March, the Bureau of Reclamation forecast a high lake level [Lake Powell] for this year at 3,642 feet, which is about nine feet higher than last year (which was celebrated by Lake Powell lovers since it was the highest the lake’s been since 2002, but still 60 feet below its 1998 level). But given the snowpack levels above Lake Powell for this year, and their precipitous drop in recent weeks, such projections may be dashed. After all, there was a lot more snow at this time last year. Indeed, some don’t expect Powell to get above 3,630 feet, and the NOAA’s most recent water supply outlook calls for slightly above average flows going into the reservoir this month, but below average flows after that.

From the Cortez Journal (Steve Grazier):

Regional river rafters and canoe paddlers wanting to experience the rapids of the Lower Dolores River should ready their water crafts within the next week or so for the best riding opportunities. Ken Curtis, an engineer with the Dolores Water Conservancy District, said lower river flows until the weekend should range between 1,800 and 2,200 cubic-feet per second with a downward trend expected for Saturday and Sunday. One cfs is equivalent to a water flow of 449 gallons per minute. “Basically, we filled the reservoir up and started spilling (Tuesday),” Curtis said. “We could have a spill go as long as 20 days on the high end of things. But the week ahead looks like plenty of spill.” Wednesday’s outflow from McPhee into the Lower Dolores River was at about 2,200 cfs, according to Vern Harrell, operations manager for the local U.S. Bureau of Reclamation office. He said the river should provide “raftable” flows for some time, possibly through the end of May. “We’re going to try to provide higher releases of 1,000 to 1,200 cfs for as long as we can,” said Harrell, who noted that a flow of approximately 800 cfs is considered good enough for rafting. “After the next 10 days, it looks like the inflow (to McPhee) will be dropping.” Spill releases are managed by the bureau, which calculates downstream flows according to the reservoir level, river inflow, and user demand for irrigation and municipal contracts via the Dolores Project. McPhee’s water capacity was listed at 378,311 acre-feet on Wednesday, according to the conservancy’s Web site, http://www.doloreswater.com. When full, the reservoir sits at just over 381,000 acre-feet. An acre-foot is equal to 325,829 gallons of water, or enough to fill an entire football field at the depth of 1 foot. Curtis noted the Dolores River Basin’s snowpack level reached only 93 percent of average this year, causing a smaller river inflow and outflow.

From the Steamboat Pilot & Today:

Several seasonal closures of the Yampa River Core Trail are in effect because of the high-running waters of the Yampa River. The closed sections of the Core Trail are the 13th Street underpass, the railroad underpass upstream of Fetcher Pond and the U.S. Highway 40 under pass at Wal ton Creek. Addi tion al closures are likely as stream flows continue to fluctuate.

From the Crestone Eagle (Keno):

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, just south of Crestone, also saw heavy snow, but not anywhere as much as the 26.8” Crestone received. In Moffat, 15” was reported; the middle of the San Luis Valley saw about 6” fall on average, yet to the west in Saguache and north to Villa Grove, only a couple of inches were recorded. Over on the eastern side of the Sangres, Westcliff reported between 5” to 7” of snow. There was little wind with this storm, but the snow fell heavy for several hours, averaging 2” per hour over a twelve-hour period.

Later in the week, as most snow from this storm melted away in the April sun, a new and massive snowstorm rolled across Colorado on Friday, April 17. This pesky storm, when at its peak in the late morning, deposited 7” of snow in just a two hour period. When it finally moved out the next day, 18.9” had fallen in Crestone, with some locations around town reporting over 22”. Unlike the first storm, most of Colorado felt this storm’s punch. With these two storms, Crestone broke several records, including most snow in April, with 47.3” (as of April 18) and the all time record for most snow in a season, with 99.0”. The old record for a snow season was 93.7”, set back in 1997-98.

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):

Division Engineer Craig Cotten said the early runoff may be the result of dust storms from the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin that have dirtied the snowpack in the San Juan Mountains, reducing the snow’s ability to reflect sunlight. While Cotton was sure to tell the Rio Grande basin roundtable this week that the scenario was a theory, he didn’t dispute that the San Juan’s snow has been dustier this season. “If you look up toward the mountains, you can really tell,” he said. “It’s not white.”

Gauges on the Rio Grande near Del Norte show the river had peaked at nearly 6,200 cubic feet per second on May 8. The historic average for the gauge, based on 111 years of records for that day, is nearly a third of that amount. Cotton said in normal years, the Rio Grande experiences two periods of peak flows, one in mid-May for the foothills and another in early June for higher elevations. The early runoff could pose a problem, Cotten said, noting that some potato farmers had yet to even get their crop in the ground. “That’s kind of the fear is that we’re seeing a lot of water right now,” he said. “But in a couple of weeks when we’re supposed to see our high runoff and when everyone counts on that high runoff our rivers might be dropping significantly at that time,” he said…

Larry Walrod, a senior meteorologist and hydrology program manager at the Pueblo office for the National Weather Service, agrees with the theory. “That’s got to be a part of the early melt out,” he said. But he also sites the sublimation of the snowpack, or its exposure to hot dry winds that lead it to vaporize into the air. Moreover, temperatures in the eastern San Juans were warmer than normal in March and April. Mean temperature for March in the San Juans was three to four degrees above the month’s normal mean, he said, while the mean temperatures in the area for April were two to three degrees above the normal mean.

Meanwhile, here’s the news from the Roaring Fork Watershed via the Aspen Times:

Releases from Ruedi, east of Basalt, will be increased in increments of 50 cubic feet per second over the next few days until the flow reaches 650 cfs on Monday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the reservoir. The release rate is likely to remain at or near that level through Memorial Day, the agency said. The high flows severely limit the ability to fish in the Fryingpan River. The river is expected to be at about 350 cfs by Friday afternoon, then continue to rise through the weekend. The Bureau of Reclamation anticipates that Ruedi Reservoir will fill to capacity this summer despite the special releases for the imperiled fish.

From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent: “According to the Colorado Department of Transportation the bike path is closed between the Shoshone Power Plant and the Hanging Lake Rest Area.”

The Crystal Dam is spilling again this year and you can be there. From the Montrose Daily Press:

Limited access [May 15 and 16] to the spring releases is available between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. both days; a $15 fee per car will be necessary to access the dam through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. On Friday, May 15, about 2,500 cubic feet per second, or 1,122,000 gallons per minute, of unregulated runoff will be cascading from the dam’s spillway, with an additional 4,000 cfs of water being released through the dam to the Gunnison River. Parking will be outside of the project gates and viewers will have to walk about half a mile to view the spill.

The road providing access to Crystal Dam and Power Plant is accessed by turning onto Highway 347, 8 miles east of Montrose. The beginning elevation on Highway 347 is 6,572 feet and at the point where one turns onto the East Portal Road to the power plant, the elevation will have increased to 8,266 feet.

The East Portal Road is 6 miles long. Once drivers begin to drop into the canyon, the elevation decreases by more than 1,800 feet within 3 miles. This section of road is one of the steepest in the state, with a 16-percent grade, and is one switchback after another; careful driving is recommended.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

Today, Lake Estes is sitting at a water level elevation of 7472 feet–just a couple of feet below full. Snowmelt is coming down the Big Thompson River into Lake Estes. Because of river travel times, snow that melts during the day does not show up in downstream rivers until evening or night. That is why, this time of year, fluctuation in the Big T river can be daily. At night, inflows to Estes are currently jumping up into the 200 cfs area. During the day, they drop down to around 170 cfs. We are controlling that incoming water a little, using some for hydropower generation. As a result, we are maintaining a steady release of around 100 cfs from Olympus Dam to the Big Thompson River through the canyon.

Pinewood Reservoir has been sitting fairly consistently at an elevation of 6566. We are moving water through for power generation at the Flatiron Plant below.

Carter Lake is still sitting at an elevation of 5756–just three feet below full.

And, we are currently running just under 300 cfs to Horsetooth Reservoir. Earlier today, power generation at the Big Thompson Powerplant (near the Dam Store) came on, reducing the flow north by about 50 cfs. We saw a similar pattern last weekend, as well. Today, Horsetooth is at an elevation of 5415–a foot higher than it was this time last year. The water level at Horsetooth should continue to rise through the weekend.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

What this means for Green Mountain Reservoir is that we will be bypassing the inflowing snowmelt to the reservoir on through the dam and down the Lower Blue. Because more is coming in than we are currently releasing, we will be bumping up releases in 100 cfs increments over the next several days, hitting a cfs of around 600 by Monday, May 18. After Monday, the CROS group will reconvene. But, there is a strong likelihood the 600 cfs will continue through Memorial Day. I’ll keep you posted on what changes are made. This afternoon, we bumped releases up from around 100 cfs to about 200 cfs. The change was made between 1 and 3 p.m. I’m anticipating the daily 100 cfs increase will be made in this same time frame through the weekend, hitting the 600 cfs mark Monday afternoon. For those keeping tabs on the reservoir, it is currently at a water elevation of 7913 feet–that’s still quite a bit down from full, but we’re anticipating enough water down the Blue this year to participate in this program and fill the reservoir.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

What this means for Ruedi Reservoir is that we will be bypassing the inflowing snowmelt to the reservoir on through the dam and down the Fryingpan. Because more is coming in than we are currently releasing, we will be bumping up releases in 50 cfs increments, twice a day, over the next several days, hitting a cfs of around 650 by Monday, May 18. After Monday, the CROS group will reconvene. But, there is a strong likelihood the 650 cfs could continue through Memorial Day. I’ll keep you posted on what changes are made. Around 6:30 this evening, we will bump releases up the first 50 cfs, raising the cfs in the Fryingpan from 197 cfs to 247 cfs. Tomorrow morning, we will increase another 50 cfs, then again in the afternoon by another 50, with a resulting flow of 347. We will follow this same pattern until Monday afternoon when we will hit the 647 cfs. For those keeping tabs on the reservoir, it is currently at a water elevation of 7737 feet–that’s still quite a bit down from full, but we’re anticipating enough water down the ‘Pan this year to participate in this program and fill the reservoir.

From email from Reclamation (Dan Crabtree):

Yesterday, a combination of Morrow Point Releases and high side-inflows caused Crystal Reservoir to spill and flows in the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge to reach over 7,000 cfs by this morning. Flows at Delta are currently in the 12,000 cfs range. The May 1st forecast for the April through July runoff into Blue Mesa Reservoir is 690,000 ac-ft. consequently, the Black Canyon Water Right calls for a 24 hr peak flow of almost 6,000 cfs (5,864 cfs according to the decree). This flow was achieved starting at about 16:45 May 12th. To insure a 24 hour peak is obtained and to make efficient use of water, Reclamation will start to slowly ramp down releases today. As a result, the spill at Crystal will start to subside and probably be complete by Sunday May 17th. A more detailed schedule is being developed and additional information will be distributed as it becomes available.

The runoff is expected to peak in a couple of weeks or so, according to a report from David Frey writing for the Aspen Daily News. What a difference a year makes. Click on the thumbnail to the right to see a photo of last year’s spill at Crystal Reservoir (a rare occurence this century). Reclamation was releasing water in anticipation of a monster runoff in the Gunnison Basin. From the article:

This spring’s heavy runoff is due in part to late snows that pushed snowpack levels up above average in the Colorado River drainage and much of the state. It’s peaking early, said Dave Kanzer, senior water resources engineer for the Colorado River District, due partly to the dust storms that have coated the snow on area mountains, causing the snow to melt faster than usual. Officials have counted 12 different storms that have left area white-capped peaks with a distinctly reddish hue.

The Colorado River below Glenwood Springs was running at 10,700 cubic feet per second Wednesday afternoon, nearly double a week ago. The Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs was running at 3,940 cfs Wednesday afternoon, up from 2,000 cfs a week ago. Near Aspen it was running at 325 cfs.

From the Pueblo Chieftain:

As temperatures climbed in the last week, more snow has melted off below 10,000 feet in elevation, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service was reporting statewide snowpack at 74 percent of average Monday. In the Arkansas River basin, snowpack moisture is at 92 percent of average, while the Rio Grande basin has dropped to 64 percent. The Colorado River basin, which provides water imported into the Arkansas River basin, is at 82 percent of normal…

“It started coming off about 10 days ago,” said Roy Vaughan, manager of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project for the Bureau of Reclamation. “It’s what we’ve seen in the last five or six years. Everything above 10,000 feet is still packed, but the lower elevations lower the average.” Vaughan is projecting about 60,000 acre-feet coming through the Fry-Ark Project, which is above the long-term average of 52,400 acre-feet…

While the runoff is coming earlier than usual, there are still adequate water supplies in the state. Statewide reservoir levels are at 60 percent, which is above average. The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting average flows in the Arkansas River and throughout the state. Precipitation for the year has been average in Eastern Colorado, above average in the northern mountains and well below average in the Southwest and Rio Grande regions, according to the USGS.