State climatologist urges continued water conservation

Even with May storms, climate experts at Colorado State University stress that the state is far from recovering from drought conditions.

"Some individuals and community leaders may be under the impression that the state is in a good position in relation to drought because of the wet weather Colorado has received in April and May," said state climatologist Roger Pielke. "However, overall precipitation is still behind average and snowpack levels are low and quickly depleting. To help ensure Colorado has the water resources to get through the long drought season, municipal and individual efforts at water use efficiency remain very important throughout the state."

According to Pielke, who directs Colorado State's Colorado Climate Center, it is unlikely that much of Colorado will recover from drought in 2004. Statewide recovery will likely be a multi-year process.

Pielke said that Colorado will need unprecedented, almost unrealistic, widespread amounts of rain to see a complete statewide recovery. "Since the state is in a multi-year period with below average precipitation, communities need to continue to be efficient in water use, a policy that should always be applied in this semi-arid state," he said.

Warm weather in May resulted in early runoff and evaporation of some of the increased snowpack generated from April storms. On May 1, on a statewide basis, Colorado's snowpack had been boosted to 68 percent of average for the date (last year was 87 percent of average at this time) and 78 percent of last year. By May 17, the snowpack had melted to 43 percent of average and 51 percent of last year, according to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS.

"Snowpack levels are important in Colorado because snowpack provides much of the water in the state's rivers, streams and reservoirs," Pielke said. "Eight major Colorado river systems also provide water to 10 western states. If Colorado does not receive additional significant summer rains and these snowpack levels continue to decrease at a rapid rate, the state could be facing serious late summer drought conditions, including a heightened fire risk. State policy makers should plan now for consequences to the state's water needs if these very serious drought conditions actually occur."

Reservoir storage totals vary throughout the state but overall are below average - yet well above where they were this time last year. In early May, statewide reservoir storage was 84 percent of average and 139 percent of last year.

Snowpack figures in Colorado as of May 24 follow.

• South Platte Basin: 22 percent of average, 29 percent of last year.
• Colorado Basin: 20 percent of average, 21 percent of last year.
• Yampa and White Basin: 28 percent of average, 37 percent of last year.
• Gunnison Basin: 42 percent of average, 83 percent of last year.
• San Juan, Animas, Dolores and San Miguel basins: 39 percent of average, 179 percent of last year.
• Rio Grande Basin: 40 percent of average, 212 percent of last year.
• Arkansas Basin: 37 percent of average, 65 percent of last year.