January snowpack 'ugly' in Poudre River drainage

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The first snow survey of the year was conducted Jan. 28 in the Poudre River basin, and the results are not encouraging.

In fact, the South Platte Basin, which includes the Cache la Poudre River and the Big Thompson, is the driest in the state. As of Jan. 28 the basin was at 64 percent of the 30-year average, the same as last year at this time. Two years ago, when the area experienced a record-dry year, the South Platte was at a mere 52 percent of average in January.

Brian Werner of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District called the current snowpack figures "ugly."

The Jan. 28 snow survey produced the following measurements in the Poudre River drainage: Joe Wright Reservoir, 8.3 inches, 62 percent of average; Cameron Pass, 11.1 inches, 66 percent of average; Big South, 2.3 inches, 100 percent of average; Chamber's Lake, 4.2 inches, 74 percent of average; and Deadman Hill, 6.7 inches or 66 percent of average.

Snow density is an important factor, since it indicates the amount of moisture in the snowpack. John Fusaro, who conducts the local snow surveys for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said snow density at the survey sites is running between 20 and 30 percent moisture, normal for January. Two years ago, the density was in the low teens.

The low snowpack is causing concern, according to Mike Gillespie, Colorado snow survey supervisor for the NRCS. "We're halfway through the winter," he noted, "so we're now at the mercy of a wet spring." March and April are typically the best snow months along the Front Range.

As of late January, snowpack in Colorado as a whole stood at 91 percent of average. The North Platte Basin, which includes North Park and the Laramie River, was at 81 percent of average.

Storage still down

Even though the water storage picture is better than last year, it's still not pretty. "We're not out of the woods yet," said Werner. "The drought isn't over until we get close to capacity again." In January, the large C-BT reservoirs including Lake Granby, Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake stood at 50 percent of capacity, compared with last year's 21 percent. While the reservoirs are 200,000 acre-feet ahead of last year, they are still 50,000 acre-feet short of average.

The C-BT quota for this year was set at 50 percent in November, and Werner said he doesn't expect it to change. The district board will reconsider the quota in April.

At the North Poudre Irrigation Co., the situation is similar. Last year at this time, the NPIC reservoirs were very low; this year there's an increase of 5,000 acre-feet in storage. However, reservoirs are still only at about 50 percent of capacity, according to general manager Steve Smith. Smith added that soil moisture is also low. Low soil moisture presents challenges to farmers for spring planting, and it contributes to shrink in the ditches once irrigation water starts running.