Colorado's snowpack on sharp downward trend

John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 6, 2006 at midnight

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Warm weather and a dry spring have melted the Colorado snowpack down to 26 percent of the statewide average.

A June 1 measurement by the federal snow survey marks the second sharp decline in the past two months, down from 94 percent of average on April 1. It stood at 65 percent of average on May 1.

The early meltdown means that most streams and rivers in the state will reach their peak flow earlier than usual, according to Allen Green, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which conducts the survey.

"With snowmelt tracking anywhere from two to four weeks earlier than usual, we've already seen peak flows pass on a number of the state's rivers," Green said.

The quick meltdown means a fast and furious season for the state's whitewater enthusiasts.

"It's a tale of two stories," said Duke Bradford, director of Arkansas Valley Adventures in Buena Vista. In the southern and eastern parts of the states, stream flows are running low, he said.

But snowpack in the northern and central mountains has created ideal flows for rafting and kayaking, Bradford added. "They're cranking," he said. "As a state overall we have some issues with drought," Bradford said. "But some areas are really benefitting."

The dry, warm weather, however, will have a "significant impact on water supplies across much of the state," according to the NRCS.

The state had a very dry May in the high country. And in April, precipitation totals measured 46 percent of average.

While the northern mountains did have a heavier-than-normal snowpack early in the winter, the dry, warm spring that followed has reduced the yield to a near-average runoff.

Meanwhile, in the southern mountains, stream flow has continued at levels well below normal. The service reported that streams and rivers in the Rio Grande basin and southwestern Colorado can expect runoff volumes at 50 to 70 percent of normal.

The one bright note in the NRCS report is that reservoir storage is running significantly higher than last year in most basins. Statewide, reservoir storage is about 99 percent of average and about 107 percent of where it stood at this time last year.

Snowpack by the numbers

Percentage of average snowpack

Basin	June '06	June '05	Current storage
Gunnison	38%	32%	133%
Colorado	38%	52%	107%
South Platte	16%	33%	83%
North Platte	48%	73%	N/A
Yampa-White	45%	75%	103%
Arkansas	51%	157%	63%
Rio Grande	11%	9%	64%
San Juan, Animas, Dolores	6%	5%	112%
Statewide	26%	36%	99%