From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Kevin Duggan):
Although the reservoir’s level dropped nearly 16 feet in the last month with the onset of hot, dry weather, its elevation was at 5,400 feet going into the Labor Day weekend and remained there Monday. The water hasn’t been that high this late in the year since 2004, said Kara Lamb, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the reservoir. Prior to that, the measure wasn’t seen since the late 1990s. “We had a full reservoir all summer, and that’s not typical,” she said…
Demand this year for irrigation water in the Colorado-Big Thompson system, which includes Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake, is about 50,000 acre feet below normal, said Brian Werner, spokesman for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Precipitation for the year so far is about 118 percent of average. All of that bodes well for the start of the next boating and irrigation season, Werner said. “Unless something completely crazy happens, we should have good carryover water for next year,” he said.
More Colorado-Big Thompson Project coverage here.