From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dave Buchanan):
As of April 29, the Bureau of Reclamation reported the Colorado River basin registered among the lowest overall snowpack in the state at only 72 percent of average. Most of the other major basins ranged from 61-80 percent ranges, including the Gunnison Basin at 71 percent. The upper Rio Grande Basin topped the state list at 87 percent of average. Although reservoir storage remains adequate across the state, the lack of a snowpack to augment water needed for early-summer irrigation may mean shortages or cutbacks later in the year…
Hydrologists from the Bureau of Reclamation said neither Taylor Park nor Blue Mesa reservoirs are expected to fill this summer. The Bureau on its website said it’s likely Blue Mesa will top out at 7,512 feet elevation, about 4 feet short of filling. At current snowpack levels, it’s predicted the Gunnison River through the Gorge and Black Canyon will remain in the 550-600 cubic feet per second range most of the summer. The most recent forecast for a peak flow to meet the senior Black Canyon Water Right is a one-day peak in the range of 3,425 cfs, along with a six-day ramp up and a six-day ramp down to about 800 cfs. If and when that peak might occur won’t be decided until after the May snowpack readings are available, said lead hydrologist Dan Crabtree of the Bureau’s Grand Junction office. “It may be the middle of May but we can’t pin ourselves down until we get the May 1 forecast and we know what we are working with,” Crabtree said…
Bureau of Reclamation hydrologists are watching the Cimarron River and the level of Silver Jack Reservoir, changes in which affect the Cimarron’s flows into Crystal Dam, the last dam before the Gunnison River spills into the Black Canyon. “We want to use that water as efficiently as possible, but I’m guessing (the peak flow will come) the second or third week of May,” Crabtree said…
A sudden burst from the upper Cimarron River basin last spring pushed Silver Jack to spill and that in turn pushed the Gunnison River higher and faster than expected. Those Cimarron flows, along with additional runoff flows from the North Fork of the Gunnison, gave water managers a little concern when peak flows at Delta neared flood stage.
From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (John Gardner):
“This is our favorite time of year,” said Bryon Lawrence, a hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Grand Junction. “Because this is when things start to happen.” However, Lawrence is not too excited about the spring runoff season this year due to a lack of snow accumulation this winter. He said that this year is shaping up to be a “mediocre” runoff year at best…
As of Monday, the Colorado River Basin was reportedly at 90 percent of year-to-date precipitation average, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The recent snowstorms have helped bring the precipitation levels up slightly, but they have not added much to the snowpack, according to Dave Merritt with the Colorado River Water Conservation District…
According to Merritt the area from Grand Lake to Grand Junction remains at 78 percent of average snowpack levels. And statewide, Colorado is at 84 percent of average, he said. Western Colorado is currently at 80 percent of annual snowpack, he said. The low amount of snowpack will result in a less than average runoff, Lawrence said. According to the National Weather Service, The Colorado River peaked on May 21 in 2009, running at 10,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) at Dotsero. The average peak runoff for the Colorado River at Dotsero is 9,425 cfs. The weather service predicts the peak runoff to be well below the 2009 levels, at only 4,500 cfs this year at the same location.