Reservoirs healthy, runoff down

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

North Poudre Irrigation Co. reservoirs are "as full as we want them" for this time of year, according to NPIC manager Steve Smith.

The company appropriated one acre-foot of early water per share this year, the first time in several years, because of the good supply of water.

The total NPIC appropriation this year is six acre-feet, including 2.9 acre-feet of multiple use water, 2.18 acre-feet of ag water and the early water appropriation.

As the area continues to recover from the long drought, soil moisture is finally being replenished. "It's a lot better than we've had for a number of years," Smith said.

Some crops are benefitting from the spring moisture, notably hay and pasture grass. Howard Diehl, whose family has some acreage in dryland crops, said the cool, wet weather has been great for grass. Winter wheat has also benefited, he said.

The moisture hasn't been all good news, of course. Smith noted that wet conditions have delayed some planting, and some beets that were planted early froze and had to be replanted.

Stream runoff this spring is predicted to be below normal, according to Brian Werner of Northern Water. Runoff on the Poudre River is projected to be 85 percent of average, with the Big Thompson at 80 percent. The Western Slope, which provides most of the Colorado-Big Thompson storage, is predicted to produce runoff that's only 75 to 80 percent of average.

On the plus side, Werner noted, reservoir storage is very good at present. Local storage is 35 percent above average, and C-BT reservoirs are 15 percent above average. Spring moisture is keeping pressure off the reservoirs, boding well for available water later in the season.

The C-BT quota, set at 50 percent last fall, was increased to 80 percent in April because of the healthy storage levels.