Summit County Citizens Voice

Frazil ice piles up in berms along the shoreline of Dillon Reservoir. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN. Click on the image to learn more about the seasonal frazil ice phenomenon.

State of the River meeting in Frisco; Denver Water says Dillon Reservoir will probably fill; Justice Hobbs to speak on climate and water law at Summit Chamber lunch

It’s Water Wednesday in Summit County, with Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs scheduled to speak at a Summit Chamber lunch session in Breckenridge (12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.), followed by the annual State of the River meeting (6:30 p.m.) at the Summit Community and Senior Center near the County Commons in Frisco. Hobbs, one of Colorado’s top legal water experts, will speak on climate and Colorado water law during the Chamber lunch, which is open to the public.

The State of the River meeting includes information about how the low snowpack will be influencing streamflows and reservoir operations this year, and an update on critical negotiations among water users affecting the Blue and Colorado Rivers.

The keynote speaker will be Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River District. Kuhn will discuss the status of water-supply negotiations between a West Slope coalition of water stakeholders and Denver Water.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will give an update on operations of the
Colorado-Big Thompson Project. including projections for when  Green Mountain Reservoir will fill for recreational use, and when levels will start dropping again.

Denver Water will discuss its Dillon Reservoir and Roberts Tunnel operations, including the outlook for Dillon Reservoir. With the late-season snowfall, Denver Water officials now say there’s a better-than 90 percent chance that the reservoir will fill this spring.

Scott Hummer, the Blue River water commissioner from the State Engineer’s Office, will talk about water-year prospects and administrative issues in the county.

Finally, the Front Range Water Council will present a study about the Colorado economy, the Front Range and the importance of water.

For more information, call Jim Pokrandt at (970) 945-8522, ext. 236, or e-mail edinfo@crwcd.org. To learn more about the Colorado River District, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2000, visit www.ColoradoRiverDistrict.org.

The Colorado River District supports Summit Voice coverage of water issues.

Filed under: Dillon Reservoir, Environment, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Denver Water, Dillon Reservoir, State of the River