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After desiccating winds, low precipitation and warm weather caused a precipitous drop in early May snowpack, Colorado welcomed a weekend storm that brought precipitation across the Arkansas River Basin, especially in the high country.  The Observed Precipitation Map from the National Weather Service shows recent precipitation totals in inches of water. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map, based on data from May 17, before the storm arrived, shows extreme drought across portions of Fremont, Las Animas and Kiowa counties and all of Bent County. The map shows all of Prowers and Baca counties under extreme to exceptional drought. The new NOAA three-month temperature and precipitation outlook shows a 70-80% probability for above-average temperatures and a 33-40% likelihood of below-average precipitation across the Arkansas Basin. Snowpack The National Weather Service reported the following three-day snowfall totals resulting from the recent storm system:
Arkansas Basin Snowpack Graph for May 23  Reservoir Storage
Current reservoir data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation shows Pueblo Reservoir is 64.7% full as of May 22 with 209,009 acre-feet of water in storage. Twin Lakes Reservoir water storage increased to 105,150 acre-feet, 74.6% of full. With Turquoise Lake receiving Fryingpan-Arkansas Project imports, water storage has increased to 69,266.3 acre-feet or 53.5% of full, up from 44.8% a week ago. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data show 29,625 acre-feet of water currently stored in John Martin Reservoir. The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board approved 32,848 acre-feet of Fry-Ark Project water allocations during its May 19 meeting in Pueblo. The District's forecast for total 2022 imports is 45,300 acre-feet. Southeastern District Senior Policy and Issues Manager Chris Woodka reported that approximately 16,000 acre-feet of Project water have been brought over from the West Slope as of May 23. River Flows Arkansas River flows, fed by spring runoff, continue to increase. Flows are 170 cfs near Leadville, 606 cfs below Granite and 892 cfs at the Wellsville gauge, which reported a peak flow of 1,620 cfs May 20. The Cañon City gauge currently reports 1,060 cfs, the same as last week; however, river flow at Cañon City reached 1,750 cfs May 21. Flows are currently 1,690 cfs below Pueblo Dam and 2,330 cfs near Avondale. Flows are 1,840 cfs near Rocky Ford and 598 cfs below John Martin Reservoir. The gauge at Lamar currently reports 53.5 cfs. River Calls Currently, the Arkansas Basin has 13 active calls. The three calls on the mainstem remain unchanged from a week ago – the 1887 Amity Canal water right, the 1889 X-Y Irrigating Ditch right and the 1949 Arkansas River Compact. The most senior calling right is the Titsworth Ditch with an 1861 priority date on Fourmile Creek. The 1866 Gonzales Ditch right continues to call for Apishapa River water, and the Hoehne Ditch, with an 1865 priority, has a call on the Purgatoire River. The Spanish Peaks Ditch (1873 priority) now has a call on the Cucharas River, and the Upper Huerfano No. 2 (1869 priority) has a call on the Huerfano River. New this week is a call on Wahatoya Creek, a tributary of the Cucharas River, by the R.B. Willis Ditch. Recent weather patterns have proven detrimental to the water outlook for the Arkansas River Basin with warm temperatures, minimal precipitation and high winds combining to reduce snowpack across Colorado, especially in the southern basins. Snowpack in the Rio Grande and San Juan/Dolores basins is alarmingly low at 2% and 7%, respectively. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map shows little change across Colorado with moderate to severe drought conditions in most of the Arkansas Basin. However, a new area of extreme drought has developed in the lower South Platte Basin. The new NOAA three-month temperature and precipitation outlook, updated monthly, should be available next week. Colorado Snowpack Map for May 15 Snowpack
According to the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Arkansas Basin snowpack, measured as snow-water equivalent, dropped to 31% of median as of May 15. The NRCS website indicates, "Analysis may not provide a valid measure of conditions" at almost all basin SNOTEL sites. An exception is the Fremont Pass site, which reports 73% of median snowpack as of May 16. Reservoir Storage Current reservoir data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation shows Pueblo Reservoir is 66.4% full as of May 15 with 214,378 acre-feet of water in storage. Twin Lakes Reservoir is is 68.4% full at 96,403.5 acre-feet. Turquoise Lake is currently 44.8% full and stores 57,995.4 acre-feet of water. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data show 33,163 acre-feet of water currently stored in John Martin Reservoir, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials announced that John Martin Reservoir State Park's west boat ramp closed May 16 due to low water. River Flows Arkansas River flows have increased as early snowmelt runoff feeds upper basin tributaries. Flows are 260 cfs near Leadville, 382 cfs below Granite, 1,120 cfs at Wellsville and 1,060 cfs at Cañon City. Below Pueblo Dam and near Avondale, flows are 736 cfs and 1,180 cfs, respectively. Flows are 690 cfs near Rocky Ford and 567 cfs below John Martin Reservoir. At Lamar, flows are currently 51.4 cfs. Voluntary Flow Management Program Flow management targets to support the Arkansas River fishery ended May 15, and releases from upper basin reservoirs to support recreational boating are slated to begin July 1. River Calls Currently, the Arkansas Basin has 15 active calls. Three calls are on the mainstem – the 1887 Amity Canal water right, the 1889 X-Y Irrigating Ditch right and the 1949 Arkansas River Compact, which dictates flow at the Colorado-Kansas state line. The most senior calling right is the French Ditch Diversion with an 1861 priority date on French Creek upstream from Manitou Springs, and the 1866 Gonzales Ditch right continues to call for Apishapa River water. Other tributary calls are the Lake Miriam Ditch on the Cucharas River, the Chilcotte Ditch on Fountain Creek, the Canon Heights Ditch on Fourmile Creek, the DeWeese Dye Ditch on Grape Creek, the Hayden Supply Ditch on Greenhorn Creek, the Harrington Ditch on Hardscrabble Creek, the Sefton Ditch on the Huerfano River, the Spring Ditch on Middle Tallahassee Creek, the Hoehne Ditch on the Purgatoire River and the Waggoner Ditch on Stout Creek. Priority dates for these water rights range from 1864 to 1884. High winds continued to plague Colorado and the Arkansas River Basin this week, contributing to several wildfires. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows little change across Colorado with moderate to severe drought conditions across most of the basin, but the drought map has not been updated to reflect Sunday's snowstorm, which improved snowpack. The NOAA three-month temperature and precipitation outlook was recently updated, projecting above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for all of Colorado through July. Colorado Snowpack Map for April 24  Snowpack
According to the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), basin snowpack dropped to 63% of median, measured as snow-water equivalent, as of April 24. Ark Basin SNOTEL data from April 25 show Porphyry Creek at 89% of median, Saint Elmo at 81%, Fremont Pass at 88% and Hayden Pass at 32%. The Apishapa SNOTEL station reads 150% of median, but that reading has been flagged as likely not valid. Reservoir Storage Current reservoir data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation shows Pueblo Reservoir is 68.8 % full with 222,249 acre-feet of water in storage. Twin Lakes Reservoir is 68% full with 95,873.7 acre-feet in storage. Turquoise Lake currently stores 47,501.5 acre-feet of water and is 36.7% full. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data shows 44,444 acre-feet of water currently stored in John Martin Reservoir, well below its capacity of 348,599 acre-feet. River Flows Arkansas River flows have increased since last week, with gauges reading 318 cfs below Granite, 346 cfs at Wellsville and 352 cfs at Cañon City. Below Pueblo Dam, flows are 324 cfs, 745 cfs near Avondale and 162 cfs near Rocky Ford. Below John Martin Reservoir flows have ramped up to 75.4 cfs. At Lamar flows are currently 47.5 cfs. Voluntary Flow Management Program Flows at Wellsville are on target for the Voluntary Flow Management Program for April 1 to May 15. River Calls Calling water rights in the Arkansas Basin increased from 11 to 18 active calls this week. Seven calls are on the mainstem, including the 1875 Lamar Canal water right, the 1884 Fort Lyon Canal right and Las Animas Consolidated water right. The most senior calling water right is the Chilili Ditch with an 1862 priority date on the Huerfano River. Other tributary calls include Bray Ditch on North Cottonwood Creek with an 1867 priority date, the Bannister Sump Well on Fountain Creek with an 1866 priority date, the Titsworth Ditch on Fourmile Creek with an 1865 priority date, and the Gonzales Ditch on the Apishapa River with an 1866 right. High winds and dry conditions continued across much of the Arkansas River Basin this past week, prompting Red Flag warnings and burn bans. Nonetheless, wildfires broke out in Bent, Otero and Custer counties as well as at Fort Carson. Moderate to severe drought conditions dominate most of the basin with extreme to exceptional drought persisting in the southeast corner of the state. Colorado Snowpack Map for April 16  Snowpack
National Resources Conservation Service data show that the past week’s dry, windy conditions in the Arkansas Basin dropped snowpack from 97% to 88% of median (based on snow-water equivalent). Despite the basin-wide trend, snowpack increased at some NRCS SNOTEL sites, including Porphyry Creek, which currently reports 115% of median, up from 98%. Saint Elmo snowpack is back up to 111% after dropping to 100% the previous week. Fremont Pass rebounded to 93%, up 8 percentage points. Snowpack at Apishapa and Hayden Pass dropped to 91% and 82%, respectively. Reservoir Storage Current data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation shows Pueblo Reservoir at 69.7% of capacity with 225,051 acre-feet of water in storage. Other Reclamation reservoirs, like Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake, are not currently reporting these numbers. The Army Corps of Engineers report for April 15 shows 45,188 acre-feet of water currently stored in John Martin Reservoir, which has a capacity of 348,599 acre-feet. River Flows The Colorado Division of Water Resources reports Arkansas River flows are currently 114 cfs at Granite and 205 cfs at the Wellsville gauge near the Fremont-Chaffee County line, below the Voluntary Flow Management target of 250 cfs. In Cañon City, Arkansas River flows are 232 cfs. Below Pueblo Dam, flows are 108 cfs, 305 cfs near Avondale and 183 cfs near Rocky Ford. Below John Martin Reservoir flows have crept up to 0.46 cfs. At Lamar flows are 6.82 cfs, the same as a week ago. River Calls Active calls for water in the Arkansas Basin are at 11, with six calls on the mainstem, unchanged from a week ago. Calling water rights continue to include the Lamar Canal with an 1875 priority date, the Fort Lyon Canal with an 1884 priority date and the Buffalo Canal with an 1885 priority date. Tributary calls include the Model Ditch with an 1862 priority date on the Purgatoire River, the Titsworth Ditch with an 1865 priority date on Fourmile Creek, the Gonzales Ditch with an 1866 priority date on the Apishapa River, the May Ditch with an 1869 priority date on the Huerfano River, and the Hardscrabble Ditch with an 1871 priority date on Hardscrabble Creek. The early April weather pattern brought high winds and warmer weather to the Arkansas River Basin and did nothing to improve snowpack levels. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows moderate to severe drought conditions across the basin, little changed since last week. NOAA has not yet issued a new three-month temperature and precipitation outlook. Colorado Snowpack Map for April 9  Snowpack
The latest snowpack data from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) shows basin-wide snowpack at 97% of median, down from 98% a week ago. Snowpack at Porphyry Creek dropped from 121% to 98%, and at Saint Elmo, from 110% to 100%. The snowpack at Fremont Pass diminished from 92% to 85% during the past week. Snowpack at the Apishapa SNOTEL station reached 95% of median. Hayden Pass dropped slightly this week to 85%. Reservoir Storage The NRCS Reservoir Storage Report has not yet been updated for the Arkansas Basin's major reservoirs. Current reservoir data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation shows Pueblo Reservoir 70.1% full with plenty of capacity to accommodate the annual April 15 deadline for ensuring that that the reservoir has space available for flood control. Water stored in Pueblo Reservoir currently sits at 226,089 acre-feet. River Flows Arkansas River flows are currently 119 cfs at Granite, 247 cfs at the Wellsville gauge downstream from Salida and 326 cfs at Cañon City. Below Pueblo Dam, flows are 199 cfs, 500 cfs near Avondale and 93.8 cfs near Rocky Ford. Below John Martin Reservoir flows have dropped to 0.08 cfs. At Lamar flows are currently 6.82 cfs. Voluntary Flow Management Program Flows at Wellsville are slightly below the target range of 250-400 cfs established by the Voluntary Flow Management Program for April 1 to May 15. River Calls The Arkansas Basin currently has 11 active calls, six of which are on the mainstem, including the Lamar Canal with an 1875 priority date, the Fort Lyon Canal with an 1884 priority date and the Buffalo Canal with an 1885 priority date. Tributary calls include the Baca Irrigating Ditch with an 1862 priority date on the Purgatoire River, the Titsworth Ditch with an 1865 priority date on Fourmile Creek, the Gonzales Ditch with an 1866 priority date on the Apishapa River, and the May Ditch with an 1869 priority date on on the Huerfano River. The Arkansas River Basin benefited from increased snowfall across the southern half of Colorado in March. Snowpack levels have improved, and the U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought conditions lessening from severe to moderate across much of the basin in Colorado, with extreme drought persisting only in the southeastern plains. The NOAA three-month temperature outlook continues to project above-normal temperatures across all of Colorado as well as lower than normal precipitation. Colorado Snowpack Map for April 2 Snowpack
The latest snowpack data from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) shows basin-wide snowpack at 98% of median, up from 76% at the end of February. The Porphyry Creek and Saint Elmo SNOTEL sites continue to record the highest snowpack levels: 121% and 110%, respectively. Snowpack at Fremont Pass is 92%, little changed in the past month. Snowpack increased to 94% at Apishapa. Hayden Pass also improved from 69% to 86% over the past month. Reservoir Storage The NRCS Reservoir Storage Report shows statewide water storage dropping from 75% of median a month ago to 62% as of April 1. Arkansas Basin storage is at 90% of median, and basin reservoir levels are:
River Flows As of April 2, Arkansas River flows were 145 cfs at Granite, 295 cfs at the Wellsville gauge downstream from Salida and 366 cfs at Cañon City. Below Pueblo Dam, flows were 174 cfs, increasing to 516 cfs near Avondale before dropping to 108 cfs near Rocky Ford. The flow was 0.23 cfs below John Martin Reservoir and 7.59 cfs at Lamar. Voluntary Flow Management Program Flows at Wellsville are within the target range (250-400 cfs) established by the Voluntary Flow Management Program (VFMP). Under the VFMP, water managers limit releases from upper basin reservoirs from April 1 to May 15 to maintain optimum conditions for trout fry emergence. The VFMP established a framework for owners of senior water rights to manage their water so that it provides additional benefits through non-consumptive water uses, e.g., for whitewater rafting and fishery health. Through May 15, water managers use upstream reservoirs to limit flows to the optimal range for trout fry emergence, supporting healthy young trout strong enough to survive the high flows of spring runoff. During summer months, the VFMP supplements river flows by releasing water from upstream reservoirs, supporting the the local recreation economy. The water is then retained in Pueblo Reservoir where rights owners can use it for its decreed "beneficial uses" (like irrigation and municipal water service). River Calls The Winter Water Storage Program (WWSP) ended March 14, signaling more dynamic river administration. The Basin had 11 active calls as of April 3; six of those were on the river, including the flow requirement at the Kansas state line under the Arkansas River Compact. Tributary calls include the Gonzales Ditch, an 1866 water right on the Apishapa River, and the Kittridge Ditch No. 2, an 1870 right on West Fourmile Creek. |
