From The Crested Butte News (Mike Horn):
…according to UGRWCD general manager Frank Kugel, when we are “slightly below normal on snowpack we often end up significantly below on runoff.” Why that happens is largely unknown, as it’s not a linear relationship between the two, though Kugel said soil moisture plays a role. In line with that precipitation-runoff equation, Kugel’s report stated the unregulated inflow into Blue Mesa Reservoir was 82 percent of average for March and the projected April-through-July info is only 74 percent. That despite precipitation levels being 94 percent of normal. “Dust and high temperatures brought the snowpack down in a hurry,” said Kugel…
“The latest projections are that we won’t fill Taylor Reservoir and Blue Mesa,” Kugel concluded. For Taylor, Kugel projected that the maximum content will be 96,080 acre-feet or 90 percent of capacity, and the inflow forecast is 75 percent of normal. The same projections for Blue Mesa were unavailable at press time…
According to Kugel’s report, Blue Mesa and Taylor Park Reservoirs are currently at 69 percent and 62 percent of capacity, respectively (compared to 65 percent and 60 percent last month).
For comparison, storage levels in two other prominent western reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, dropped over the past month. They are currently at 56 percent and 44 percent of capacity, respectively.