Summit County snowfall above average in December

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Snowpack still lagging behind average and behind last year

Buffalo Mountain Summit County Colorado

December 2012 snowfall was slightly above average in Colorado. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — December snowfall in Summit County was just slightly above average at both official observation sites, with Breckenridge weather watcher Rick Bly tallying 25. 3 inches for the month, just about 3 inches more than the average based on records going back more than 100 years. (more…)

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Colorado: Dillon Reservoir likely to drop another 10-15 feet

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Water managers hoping for the best ( a wet winter) and planning for the worst (more drought)

How low will it go? Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — As low as Dillon Reservoir looks right now, the water level was a bit lower in the spring of 2011 as Denver Water prepared for a massive surge of inflow after a record winter.

Currently, the reservoir is about 74 percent full, holding about 190,000 acre feet of water. Historically, it’s about 94 percent of capacity this time of year, according to Denver Water’s Bob Peters. In May 2011, the reservoir dropped to 72 percent of capacity just ahead that year’s runoff season.

Before that, the last time it dropped to anywhere around this level for any sustained period of time was between May 2002 to April 2003, when it bottomed out at 48 percent, Peters said.

Denver Water will continue to draw water throughout the winter, so the reservoir is likely to drop at least another 10 to 12 feet during the next few months.

“We need to balance refill capability between Dillon and Cheesman,” Peters said.

That means another summer of challenging operations for the Frisco Marina, which is already sitting high and dry, unless this winter delivers a monster snowpack leading to well above-average runoff.

Peters said that current inflow into the reservoir from its various tributaries is about 90 percent of average. The power plant at the dam will be generating about half of its  capacity during the coming months, he said.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Snowmaking impacts Snake River flows

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Massive Snake River snowmaking diversions means tough times for trout after drought summer

This year’s snowpack is well below average and tracking just barely above last year’s.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The most recent snowstorm helped boost the overall Colorado snowpack just a bit, bringing it on par with last year’s level at this time, which is still well below average for mid-November. Statewide, the snowpack was at 57 percent of average, as of Nov. 15, with most West Slope basins between 50 and 60 percent of average. Even the North Platte drainage, which has seen some significant snows in the Never Summer Range, is only at 64 percent of average.

In Summit and Eagle counties, many streams are flowing at or below historic low levels, creating challenges for some ski areas that rely on direct stream diversions for snowmaking. Keystone, for example, has had to dial back its snow guns several times in the past week as the Snake River dropped to a flow of just six cubic feet per second, the minimum required under state regulations. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, Keystone, Ski Resorts, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather, US Forest Service, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Roberts Tunnel turns 50 this year

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

23.3-mile aqueduct the key to Front Range development

On February 24, 1960, Roberts Tunnel construction crews from east and west “hole through” and meet. View is from the grant heading toward the east portal. Photo courtesy Denver Water.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — As much as we here in the high country like to grumble about “our” water going to the Front Range, the diversions are one of those facts of life that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

And while Dillon Reservoir is the visible symbol of that reality, that water wouldn’t be going anywhere without the Harold D. Roberts Tunnel, a 23.3-mile aqueduct that carries the water under the Continental Divide, as deep as 4,500 feet below the spine of the continent.

In Park County, the water empties into the South Platte River, feeding the Front Range Reservoirs that have enabled Denver to grow into a thriving metropolis at the cusp of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Water diverted from the Blue River Basin in Summit County provides nearly 40 percent of Denver Water’s supply. (more…)

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Colorado: Dillon Reservoir dropping fast

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Water level still 20 feet higher than during 2002-2003 drought

Even at a low level, Dillon Reservoir still shines at sunrise.

Dillon Reservoir’s water level has dropped to its lowest level since 2007.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Dillon Reservoir has dropped to its lowest level in about seven years — since May, 2007, when the elevation of the lake surface was at 9,002.21 feet and rising.

The current elevation of the reservoir (9,002.53) feet, is 15 feet below full and about 10 feet below the average elevation for this date, which is about 9,012 feet

Most recently, the reservoir dropped to near the current level in spring of 2009, when it hit 9006.72 just before the start of the runoff season in mid-March.

The current level may seem low, but the water dropped more than 40 feet lower in 2003 during Colorado’s last significant drought, reaching its lowest point on March 18, 2003, at 8,960.86 feet.

The reservoir will continue to drop the next few months, said Bob Steger, Denver Water’s manager of raw water supply, explaining that the combined current outflow through the Roberts Tunnel and the Blue River far exceeds the inflow of the streams that feed the reservoir. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Reservoir, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Denver Water: ‘Use only what you need’

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Drought watch 2012

Denver Water promotes conservation, but new developments along Tower Road, near DIA, still include acres of bluegrass lawn and unsustainable irrigation practices, including sprinkler watering during high winds. Photo by Bob Berwyn.

*Editor’s note: This is one of an occasional series of contributed articles highlighting water conservation efforts in Colorado.

By Jim Lochhead, CEO/Manager of Denver Water

Denver Water is leading the way in water conservation in Colorado, helping customers with an ambitious goal: Use 22 percent less water than before the 2002 drought. And the plan is working. Denver Water customers are using 20 percent less water than they were before 2002 — and there are nearly 10 percent more of them.

Denver Water started promoting water conservation as early as the 1920s, but following the drought of 2002, Denver Water customers embraced a cultural shift in how they value water. One of the primary drivers for this culture change has been Denver Water’s advertising campaign. The campaign helps customers appreciate the value of water by encouraging them to “Use Only What You Need.” A 2011 survey found that almost 95 percent of respondents recognize the advertising campaign.

Aside from the campaign, several programs and rules encourage customers to use water wisely. Large irrigation customers, such as homeowners associations and commercial properties, can earn $6,000 per acre-foot of water saved by developing a plan to cut water use by at least 3 acre-feet a year. In the past five years, Denver Water has signed 68 contracts with those customers (with more in the works), saving an estimated 510 acre-feet of water per year — the annual amount used by roughly 1,275 households. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Water: Scrambling to sustain Colorado River flows

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Cooperative releases from headwaters reservoirs will help sustain environmental and recreational values

A NASA satellite captured this image of the Colorado River flowing through Utah.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — With some of the lowest stream flows on record for this time of year, Colorado water managers are wrangling every last drop and trying to make them all count.

Upstream storage and diversions have exacerbated the low flows resulting from a meager snowpack and early runoff. As a result, water temperatures in parts of the Colorado River recently have already reached temperatures close to 60 degrees, which is borderline dangerous for trout. Those temperature readings were measured at a gage in the Pumphouse area, according to Jim Pokrandt, communications specialist with the Colorado River District.

Average Colorado River flows through Glenwood Canyon this time of year are about 6,000 cfs, but this year, the river has been flowing at less than 20 percent of that, at about 1,100 cfs.

Looking to raise stream flows, the Colorado River District, Denver Water and the Bureau of Reclamation are cooperating under the Shoshone outage protocol, which helps sustain flows along the Colorado River mainstem with water from Wolford Mountain Reservoir, Williams Fork Reservoir and Green Mountain Reservoir — even when Xcel’s Shoshone power plant isn’t exercising a senior water right that historically keeps at least some water in the river during dry seasons and years. (more…)

Filed under: agriculture, climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Dillon Reservoir level rising slowly

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Denver Water trying to balance storage across its system

The water level in Dillon Reservoir has climbed by almost six inches in the past week, filling some of the shallow pools near Frisco, but it may not get much higher.

The Statewide snowpack is at 9 percent of average for this time of year.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Slowly but surely, Dillon Reservoir is starting to inch upward again, as Denver Water seeks to maximize storage in all its reservoirs during what looks to be a meager peak runoff.

Since hitting a low on May 5, the elevation of the reservoir climbed by almost six inches, to 9,012.67 feet on May 15. After a small drop, it’s been holding steady since then.

“Today we cut back on the Roberts Tunnel a little bit,” said Bob Steger, manager of raw water resources for Denver Water. “We’re trying to fill the South Platte system and Dillon at about the same rate. We saw that Cheesman Reservoir was filling a little quicker, so we cut back,” Steger said. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Dillon Reservoir, Drought, Environment, La Niña, rivers, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather, water | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Summit, Grand counties sign deal with Denver Water

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
Dillon Reservoir, Denver Water

Denver Water will try to maintain water levels for marina operation on Dillon Reservoir under a historic Colorado water agreement.

Historic agreement hailed as start of a new collaborative era

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — A major water agreement aimed at ending decades of feuding and litigation between the Front Range and the West Slope moved one step closer to completion this week, as Denver Water, Summit County and Grand County representatives inked the deal at a ceremony in Hot Sulphur Springs.

Along with being hailed as a model of collaboration by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, the deal also gives all the parties some certainties as to the future management and disposition of the state’s most precious resource.

Against a backdrop of an intensifying mountain drought, Hickenlooper said this year’s dry conditions magnify the need for cooperative solutions and highlight the fragility of the state’s rivers in the face of possible climate change impacts and increasing demand from a growing population.

“Some of our watersheds are reporting the driest conditions in our recorded history … this puts Colorado on a better footing, with more secure water sources both for headwaters counties and Denver,” Hickenlooper said. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Reservoir, economy, Environment, rivers, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, water | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Denver Water declares Stage 1 drought

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Low runoff expected in key watersheds

Dillon Reservoir storage is in good shape for now, but Denver Water sees risks from continued dry weather.

A Denver Water resolution declaring a Stage 1 drought. Twitpic courtesy Drew Beckwith, Western Resource Advocates.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Denver Board of Water Commissioners is declaring a Stage 1 drought in recognition of low streamflows and projected low runoff. Anticipating the possibility of continued dry water, customers will be asked to voluntarily cut back on water use by 10 percent.

“Our intents is to maintain our system reserves in as good a shape as possible in case we are entering the first in a series of dry years,” the board wrote in its April 25 resolution. More details on Denver Water’s operating rules on irrigation and other uses are online here.

The document acknowledges that a record-low spring snowpack will result in well-below normal runoff, and the long-term weather outlook isn’t offering much relief at this point. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

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