Ski industry offers some guarantees on water rights issue

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Forest Service looking to ensure long-term viability of ski areas

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With water a premium in the West, the Forest Service and ski resorts are discussing how they will administer water that originates on national forest lands. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — In comments submitted to the U.S. Forest Service, the National Ski Areas Association is suggesting a fresh start in developing a policy to determine ownership and future use of water that originates on national forest lands.

“Our new approach assumes that all previous water clauses are no longer in effect, null and void, and unenforceable. It would result in a consistent water policy across the board going forward,” said NSAA policy director Geraldine Link.

The ski industry comments came as the Forest Service held a series of hearings around the West in the early stages of developing a new water rights clause that eventually will become part of agency permits for businesses operating on public lands.

The ski industry and the Forest Service have been at odds over water rights for years, and most recently faced each other in federal court over a 2011 version of the permit language. The court said that the Forest Service failed to follow required procedures in rewriting the clause, and also noted that the agency has adopted a series of clauses that aren’t being applied consistently. (more…)

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Summit County: March delivers moisture surplus

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Season-long snow totals still lagging

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The Colorado Climate Center maintains graphs that show average annual temperatures for individual weather stations dating back to the start of record-keeping.

Plenty of fresh snow graced the Gore Range during March. Bob Berwyn photo.

Plenty of fresh snow graced the Gore Range during March. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — While some Colorado residents may be yearning for daffodils, snow lovers are probably thinking better late than never, as March delivered a moisture surplus — the first month of the winter with snowfall totals significantly above average.

In Breckenridge, National Weather Service observer Rick Bly measured 34.3 inches of snow at his downtown weather station, nearly 10 inches more than the historic average of 25.5 inches. Similarly, Denver Water staffers in Dillon measured 30 inches of snow in March. The long-term average is 22 inches. (more…)

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Growing temperature contrast between northern and southern hemispheres likely to have big impacts on rainfall

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Tropical rainbands are likely to shift northward as the northern hemisphere warms more than the southern. Photo courtesy NASA.

‘To expect that rainfall patterns would stay the same is very naïve’

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A growing temperature disparity between the southern and northern hemispheres could have significant long-term effects on tropical rainfall patterns, potentially shifting monsoons in some areas, or leading to drought in other regions.

Climate scientists aren’t exactly sure how that will play out, but they are starting to measure the temperature differences between the two hemispheres to create an index that might help forecast some of the changes. (more…)

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Water: Feds announce plans to drain Lake Powell

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Lake Powell will be drained in the coming years, the federal government announced April 1.

Drought-stricken reservoir to revert to pre-diversion conditions within 10 years

By Snob Beerwhine

SUMMIT COUNTY — In a classic “see-you-later” political move, outgoing Interior Secretary Ben Malabar announced that the federal government will start decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam and draining Lake Powell as soon as this summer.

Malabar announced the change in U.S. water policy in an April 1 memo that outlined how communities that depend on the stored water in Lake Powell can adapt.

“Recent studies make it clear that, because of global warming, Lake Powell only has a few decades left anyway, so we’re going to get ahead of the curve on this issue,” Malabar said, adding that it’s high time that the Colorado River flows to the sea the way God intended. (more…)

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Colorado drought expected to persist through spring

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Drought persists across all of Colorado.

Reservoir storage reaching historic low levels

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Heading into April, Colorado water managers say snowfall the next few weeks would have to be more than twice or normal for the snowpack to reach the average peak snowpack, which typically happens April 8.

A big swath of the high country, including Summit and Eagle counties, is still classified as being in extreme drought.

After spending the last few months hoping for more snow, water providers now say they are preparing for continued drought conditions in spring and summer. Some towns have already announced strict outdoor watering restrictions staring early in spring. More information on watering restrictions is online at  www.COH2O.co. (more…)

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Colorado: Dillon Reservoir unlikely to fill this year

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Denver Water hopes to fill reservoir above 2002 levels

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Season to-date snowfall measured in inches, across the Front Range and easternmost Colorado mountain ranges.

As of March 21, statewide snowpack was 77 percent of average.

As of March 21, statewide snowpack was 77 percent of average, according to the NRCS.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Denver Water officials say there’s a glimmer of hope that Dillon Reservoir might come close to filling this summer if there’s above average snowfall for the next few weeks.

With exceptionally wet conditions, the reservoir could reach an elevation of 9,015 feet by July and remain above 9,000 feet through the following spring.

With average spring precipitation, chances of the reservoir filling are less than 50 percent, according to Bob Peters, who released the outlook for Dillon Reservoir operations last Friday (March 22). Under the normal precipitation scenario, Dillon Reservoir would peak at about 9,002 feet in June, about 15 feet below full. All the projections can be affected by variable weather, including spring rain and temperatures.

In both outlooks, the water level would be higher than during the summer of 2002, the last big drought year, when the reservoir peaked at an elevation of 8,993 feet. Peters said the Stage 2 outdoor watering restrictions will help keep water in Dillon Reservoir in the late summer and fall. The utility must also hedge against the possibility, however unlikely, of a third dry year by maintaining as much storage as possible.

Going into the second year of a drought, those forecast water levels are critical for local recreation interests, especially the town-owned Frisco marina, where operations are hampered by low water levels.

Denver Water has been diverting water from Dillon Reservoir via the Roberts Tunnel all winter, and some local residents may be surprised at the water level when the ice melts. By the end of March, the elevation of the reservoir will be about 30 feet below full.

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The thick black line represents this year’s snowpack.

The water level should start rising in April when spring runoff starts. Under the average precipitation scenario, Denver Water expects the reservoir level to peak sometime in June at about 9,002 feet, which is still 15 feet below full pool. By the end of summer, the water level would be back where it is now.

Continued drought conditions would have the most dramatic impact on Summit County. Reservoir levels would fall as low as 2002, when dust storms affected surrounding communities and boating access was limited.

With less than average precipitation, Denver Water projects that Dillon Reservoir would only rise about six feet from its current level by June, then start dropping again in July. By the end of the summer, the reservoir could be five feet lower than it is now.

The official spring outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is for warmer and drier than average conditions for the next three months, but so far, March has been delivering average to above-average snowfall and cooler-than-average temperatures.

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Climate: NOAA offers warm and dry spring outlook

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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The three-month temperature outlook from NOAA indicates warmer than average temperatures across much of the contiguous U.S.

Drought expected to persist across the middle of the country

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Although March has been cold and snowy across large parts of the U.S., NOAA forecasters say the chances are better than even that temperatures will rebound to above average across much of the continental United States, including drought-stricken areas of Texas, the Southwest and the Great Plains, with little drought relief for those areas. Florida is expected to stay dry as well, but river flooding is possible in some areas, especially North Dakota.

“This outlook reminds us of the climate diversity and weather extremes we experience in North America, where one state prepares for flooding while neighboring states are parched, with no drought relief in sight,” said Laura Furgione, deputy director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “We produce this outlook to help communities prepare for what’s likely to come in the next few months and minimize weather’s impacts on lives and livelihoods. A Weather-Ready Nation hopes for the best, but prepares for the worst.” (more…)

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USGS water study details evapotranspiration rates

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Mapping may help water managers prepare for climate change

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Large parts of the arid intermoountain West lose more than half the precipitation that falls to evapotranspiration. Map courtesy USGS.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — At least 80 percent of the precipitation that falls in the hot and dry American Southwest is lost to evapotranspiration, U.S. Geological Survey scientists said in a new report that will help resource managers plan for the future.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Water Resources, is the first to map average evapotranspiration rates across the continental United States. Knowing those rates is important because ir’s part of the equation for determining the amount of water available for people and ecosystems.

Evapotranspiration is the amount of water lost to the atmosphere from the ground surface.  Much of this loss is the result of the “transpiration” of water by plants, which is the plant equivalent of breathing. (more…)

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Colorado: No El Niño, no La Niña – what’s driving the weather?

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Spring outlook trends toward warm and dry conditions

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The Madden-Julian Oscillation has played a role in Colorado weather this winter.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — With neither El Niño or a La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean, long-range weather forecasters have been struggling to develop confidence in their outlook for the coming spring season — a critical time for much of the West in terms of getting some relief from drought conditions.

A wet and cool spring could at least take the edge off the drought in some areas, helping to maintain stream flows and reduce the potential for massive and dangerous wildfires. Conversely, a return to last year’s very dry and warm spring pattern would spell trouble for places like Colorado.

So if the El Niño-La Niña cycle isn’t driving the weather, what is? What we do know is that conditions over the Pacific Ocean are the key to understanding exactly what path storms will take across the western United States, and that conditions in the North Atlantic can also be a factor. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, El Niño, La Niña, Summit County Colorado, Weatherblog | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Denver Water to drain Antero Reservoir

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Utility will work with wildlife biologists to rebuild fishery when the reservoir is refilled

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Denver Water will drain Antero Reservoir to save water that’s usually lost to evaporation.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Denver Water says it will save some 4,000 acre feet of water by completely draining Antero Reservoir in anticipation of drought conditions. The Park County reservoir was created in 1909 by the first dam ever built on the South Platte River.

Antero has the highest evaporation rate of any reservoir in the Denver Water system, so the utility says it makes more sense to store the water farther downstream, in Cheesman and Eleven Mile reservoirs.

“We’re exploring as many ways as possible to be efficient with our water supply,” said Dave Bennett, water resource manager for Denver Water. “Antero is a drought reservoir designed to provide water to our customers during a severe drought. Moving water from Antero to Cheesman will allow us to make the water available for our customers and reduce evaporation losses to our system.” (more…)

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