The latest ENSO Discussion is hot off the press: ENSO neutral conditions forecast to continue #COdrought

Click here to read the discussion and see all their graphics. Here’s an excerpt:

Synopsis: ENSO-neutral is favored into the late Northern Hemisphere summer 2013.

During April 2013, ENSO-neutral continued, with near-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) observed across most of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, and below average SSTs confined to the far eastern equatorial Pacific. The Niño indices were near zero throughout the month, except for the Niño1+2 region which was between -1.2°C and -0.5°. The oceanic heat content (average temperature in the upper 300m of the ocean) remained near average during April, reflecting near- average subsurface temperatures at depth across most of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. The tropical low-level easterly winds remained slightly enhanced over the western half of the Pacific basin, and anomalous upper-level westerly winds prevailed across much of the equatorial Pacific. Tropical convection was enhanced over Indonesia and the western Pacific and suppressed over the central Pacific. Collectively, these conditions indicate the continuation of ENSO-neutral.

Most models forecast Niño-3.4 SSTs to remain ENSO-neutral into the Northern Hemisphere winter, with dynamical models tending to predict warmer conditions (-0.3°C to 0.4°C) than the statistical models (-0.7°C to 0°C). There is still low confidence in the forecasts for the latter half of the year, partly because of the so-called “spring barrier,” which historically leads to lower model skill for forecasts made between March and May. Forecast confidence will increase over the next few months. The current forecast indicates that ENSO-neutral will likely continue into the second half of the Northern Hemisphere summer 2013 (see CPC/IRI consensus forecast).

This discussion is a consolidated effort of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA’s National Weather Service, and their funded institutions. Oceanic and atmospheric conditions are updated weekly on the Climate Prediction Center web site (El Niño/La Niña Current Conditions and Expert Discussions). Forecasts for the evolution of El Niño/La Niña are updated monthly in the Forecast Forum section of CPC’s Climate Diagnostics Bulletin. The next ENSO Diagnostics Discussion is scheduled for 6 June 2013. To receive an e-mail notification when the monthly ENSO Diagnostic Discussions are released, please send an e-mail message to: ncep.list.enso-update@noaa.gov.

Bureau of Reclamation Releases Updated Climate Data for Water Managers

From email from the Bureau of Reclamation (Peter Soeth):

The Bureau of Reclamation and collaborators developed new downscaled climate projections that allow water managers to incorporate the new Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 data from the World Climate Research Program into their water management planning. The data, representing 234 contemporary climate projections for the contiguous United States, was downscaled to a 12 kilometer resolution in order to be more useful to water managers.

“CMIP5 projections represent a new source of information about how a changing climate may impact water supplies in the United States,” Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor said. “Reclamation and its partners are taking leading roles to develop an understanding on how this new information complements previous climate projections made available through CMIP3, and on how CMIP5 projections should be considered in water planning and management.”

The World Climate Research Program develops global climate projections through its CMIP roughly every five to seven years. Results from CMIP3 were released in 2007 and later used in Reclamation research and assessments including the 2011 SECURE Water Act Report and WaterSMART Basin Studies completed in the Colorado, Yakima and St Mary River – Milk River Basins.

“CMIP5 includes more comprehensive global climate models, updated greenhouse gas emissions scenarios and a broader set of experiments to address a wider variety of science questions,” Acting Science Adviser Levi Brekke said. “Through the West-Wide Climate Risk Assessment Implementation Team, Reclamation will consider best approaches for using CMIP5 projections in the future.”

Reclamation, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Santa Clara University, Climate Central, Climate Analytics Group, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed the new downscaled data collaboratively supported by funding from a WaterSMART Climate Analysis Tools Grant and Reclamation’s Science and Technology Program.

The new downscaled climate projections are available at: http://gdo-dcp.ucllnl.org/downscaled_cmip_projections/.

More Bureau of Reclamation coverage here.

EPA’s Hydraulic Fracturing Drinking Water Study: What’s the latest?

Today’s It All Starts with Science blog post–EPA’s Hydraulic Fracturing Drinking Water Study: What’s the latest? 1.usa.gov/ZBOwjI

— US EPA Research (@EPAresearch) May 6, 2013

Chaffee County is still hammering away at 1041 regulations for geothermal exploration and production

From The Mountain Mail (James Redmond):

When developing Chaffee County’s draft geothermal 1041 regulations, the consultant aimed to support geothermal development while protecting property rights, as the county requested, officials said at a special work session Tuesday. The 1041 regulations, when passed by the commissioners, will govern the use of geothermal resources for commercial production of electricity.

The consultant who drafted the regulations, Barbra Green, partner at Sullivan Green Seavy LLC, said the draft contains flexible language that will give the county tools to handle all applications, from simple to controversial. “No one else in the state has geothermal regulations yet,” Green said. The process “is not easy and never perfect,” but she said she wants to talk through the draft with the county, hear feedback and get the regulations as close to the goals of the county as possible.

The county’s draft geothermal 1041 regulations create a “permit-driven” process, Mary Keyes, Sullivan Green Seavy LLC paralegal, said. Unless staff makes a “finding of no impact,” any use of geothermal for commercial electricity will require a 1041 permit, she said.

Chaffee County Commissioner Dave Potts asked when a project would get a finding of no impact. Green said she did not know how a geothermal project could actually get a finding of no impact. To do so, the project would have to cause no change on the site or surrounding properties in a number of areas. She said the draft has the no-impact language because in the future new technology or processes could possibly have no impact.

The draft regulations include a mandatory pre-application meeting, Green said. Such meetings help all parties involved, by getting everyone on the same page, clarifying and answering questions about the application process. The meeting lets applicants determine their responsibilities and how to ensure their applications have everything they need up front instead of dealing with it later, she said.

Once staff declares the application complete, the information goes to all reviewing agencies or consultants determined necessary, Keyes said. Then staff will compile all findings from the review agencies and consultants into a staff report prior to the public hearing for the application, she said.

After the walkthrough of the process, the commissioners, consultant, county staff and others attending the meeting addressed areas of the draft they thought had issues or conflicts, and discussed possible solutions.

The county will have to decide if it wants the drilling of exploration holes to fall into the definition of geothermal 1041 regulations, and therefore require a 1041 application, Green said. Hank Held and Fred Henderson, both of Mt. Princeton Geothermal LLC, spoke during public comments, saying the county should consider less regulation, not only on the drilling of exploration holes, but also on the entire geothermal 1041 regulations. Held said the county’s draft geothermal 1041 regulations duplicate both state and federal regulations. In cases such as drilling exploration holes, a company already must go through a regulatory process at the state level that could cover the need for regulation, he said.

Green said in some cases the county has different standards than the federal or state regulations, so it may appear the county has redundant regulations.

Paul Morgan, with the Colorado Geological Survey, warned commissioners that the west side of the Upper Arkansas River Valley has a large fault line running along it. He said, “I don’t think (county geothermal 1041 regulations) should have an option of a (finding of no impact). If an earthquake happens near geothermal development, “someone will sue the county,” he said.

The county will hold a public hearing to start the process of approving the draft geothermal 1041 regulations during the May 21 regular commissioners meeting in Buena Vista, Jenny Davis, Chaffee County attorney, said. While the public hearing will start the process, the commissioners do not have to make a decision then, she said. Green will take comments and recommendations from the commissioners after the public hearing to work any requested changes into the draft document, she said.

To develop geothermal 1041 regulations, Chaffee County partnered with Archuleta and Ouray counties and Pagosa Springs to hire the consultant for the process, Davis said previously. After the partners received a grant, Chaffee County’s portion of the contract for the consultant comes to $2,937.50, Don Reimer, Chaffee County development director, said previously.

The county will have the most current version of its geothermal 1041 draft regulations on its website, chaffeecounty.org

From The Mountail Mail (Joe Stone):

The 800-acre Mount Princeton geothermal lease was recently terminated for nonpayment of rent. The lease owner, 3E Geothermal LLC in Colorado Springs, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young Life, which also owns the Frontier Ranch youth camp on the flanks of Mount Princeton. The Bureau of Land Management Colorado leased the parcel to 3E Geothermal during its November 2010 oil, gas and geothermal lease sale. The lease was issued Jan. 1, 2011. As reported at that time by The Mountain Mail, Young Life officials made clear their intention to use the lease to protect the camping experience at Frontier Ranch by preventing development that would affect the natural beauty of the area.

Denise Adamic, public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office in Cañon City, said, “Rent needs to be received every year by the Office of Natural Resources Revenue by the anniversary date … the date the lease went into effect.”
Adamic said, when the rental amount of $2,400 was not received by Jan. 1, officials with the Office of Natural Resources Revenue issued a notice to 3E Geothermal giving the company 15 days to pay. When the company did not respond to that notice, Adamic said officials issued a second notice giving the company 45 days from the anniversary date to pay the rental amount plus a 10-percent late fee. When 3E Geothermal failed to pay within the 45-day period, Adamic said, the lease was terminated.

Adamic said the company then had 30 days from the time they received the termination letter to appeal the termination to the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Terry Swanson, Young Life vice president of communications, said failure to pay the lease was “an administrative oversight” by Young Life that is “being corrected.”

Adamic said, if 3E Geothermal loses the appeal, the company would have to place the winning bid at another lease sale in order to retain the lease. BLM officials are “reviewing what, if anything, we will do with the area in question. We may or may not offer it for lease again,” Adamic said. She added that BLM officials are investigating whether or not a new lease-sale nomination would be required to offer the parcel for lease again.

Adamic said the BLM had not received a plan of development for the lease and that 3E Geothermal had not begun any ground-disturbing work on developing the lease.

This geothermal lease was the first sold in Colorado since the 1980s.

More geothermal coverage here and here.

Parachute Creek spill: Regulatory authority over the pipeline at fault is still a fuzzy question #ColoradoRiver

From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dennis Webb):

A state regulator recently acknowledged the lack of clarity over what agency, if any, regulates pipelines like the one that’s the source of a natural gas liquids leak in the Parachute Creek watershed northwest of Parachute. The comments by Jim Milne, environmental manager for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, came in response to a question by Commissioner DeAnn Craig at the commission’s meeting last week. Milne was providing an update on the investigation into the leak from a pipeline leaving Williams’ gas processing plant. “I’m just curious who writes the rules for pipeline integrity of this type of system?” Craig asked.

“I don’t have an answer to that,” Milne responded. “I think the agencies have all been looking at that question.” He said he knows the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has some level of involvement with the plant, but added, “I think the question you ask is a good one.” He said he and commission Director Matt Lepore have discussed the need to contact any agencies that could be involved and get a better understanding of who has responsibility over the line.

Williams believes a faulty gauge on the pipeline leaked about 10,000 gallons into the soil and groundwater. Carcinogenic benzene has contaminated groundwater and the creek. Williams has pointed to OSHA regulatory oversight of the pipeline. But OSHA has said it doesn’t regulate things such as what pipeline materials and welding should be used, and that its regulations are geared toward safety considerations such as protecting laborers working in pipeline trenches. The natural gas liquids pipeline runs from the plant and beneath the creek to tanks on the other side.

Williams says the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulates the pipeline running from the tanks to another plant in Rio Blanco County, from which the liquids are then shipped out of state. That agency covers aspects such as pipeline construction, testing, inspection and maintenance.

The question of jurisdiction over the Williams line takes on additional significance because the company wants to install a second natural gas liquids line in the same corridor going beneath the creek to accommodate an expansion of its plant. It recently announced a delay in the expansion for reasons it says relate to the local drilling slowdown and not the leak. That expansion plan went through a Garfield County review process, but a county planning staff report to county commissioners made no apparent mention of the new pipeline.

The oil and gas commission’s ability to regulate the existing or planned pipeline appears to be limited. It recently handed off lead authority over the leak investigation to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment because it determined it didn’t have primary jurisdiction over the matter.

Oil and Gas Commissioner Rich Alward of Grand Junction told Milne that despite the jurisdictional issues, he’d be interested in any recommendations about what the commission can do “to minimize the risk of this happening again.” Alward mentioned reporting requirements as one possible area to be addressed.

Williams didn’t initially report the leak because it thought it involved less than 25 gallons, far below the minimum five barrels (210 gallons) that trigger a reporting requirement. It also didn’t consider the spill to be a threat to surface waters, something that triggers a commission requirement of immediate reporting of a spill of any size.

A bill awaiting action by Gov. John Hickenlooper would require reporting within 24 hours of all waste spills of a barrel or more if they take place outside berms or secondary containment systems. But a barrel, or 42 gallons, is still more than what Williams initially thought had leaked.

In addition, the commission determined the liquids that leaked, as a product leaving a gas plant, don’t involve exploration and production waste, which is why it gave up jurisdictional authority.

Meanwhile, Williams reports that the highest benzene reading in the creek as of Thursday was 4.4 parts per billion. The level last week remained below the state drinking water standard of 5 ppb in the creek, after barely exceeding that standard the week before, although the standard doesn’t apply to the creek because it’s not considered a drinking water source. There continue to be no signs of benzene in the creek at the point downstream where the town of Parachute diverts irrigation water.

On Tuesday, a new well was installed to recover contaminants from the soil.

Also completed this week was installation of vertical air sparge wells designed to enhance the removal, through aeration, of benzene in groundwater once they are hooked up to a blower motor.

Those wells are part of a plan, newly approved by the health department and Environmental Protection Agency, under which Williams is upgrading its treatment system at the point where contaminated groundwater is entering the creek.

All containment booms in the creek were replaced Tueday with fresh ones. Work also began last week on sampling contaminated groundwater. The work is necessary to characterize the contamination before the water can be properly treated and disposed of, the health department said.

Williams said Friday that it so far has recovered about 6,300 gallons of natural gas liquids. It also plans to construct by month’s end a water treatment system to remove hydrocarbons from the aquifer and from recovered water that then can be returned to the aquifer. The water will be subject to continuous testing to assure it meets state and EPA requirements before being discharged back to the surface.

Meanwhile, the Clifton Water District is keeping an eye on the spill. They pull off the Colorado River downstream of the confluence of Parachute Creek. Here’s a recent release:

The Clifton Water District has continued to monitor the developments related to the contamination of Parachute Creek with Benzene. Parachute Creek is a very small tributary to the Colorado River which is the water supply for the Clifton Water District. No reports have indicated that Benzene has reached the Colorado River and the District’s monitoring efforts have not detected the presence of Benzene.

Even though there is no indication that Benzene has reached the Colorado River, the Clifton Water District has been proactively monitoring the Colorado River in multiple locations for the presence of 25 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), including Benzene. The Clifton Water District’s Certified Laboratory has not detected the presence of Benzene or any other Volatile Organic Compound in any of the samples. Monitoring of the Colorado River for Volatile Organic Compounds has been a regular and routine event since 1986 and is a fundamental commitment in providing safe drinking water for our customers.

In addition to being mindful of source water quality, the District has been diligent to implement advanced water treatment technology which is very effective in treating the Colorado River. The District has worked to improve its water treatment system to a “state-of-the-art” facility utilizing Enhanced Coagulation/sedimentation, Rapid Sand Filtration, Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration. These processes are instrumental to the success of a multi-barrier treatment approach. Continuation of the District’s effort the next generation of “state-of-the-art” water treatment technology, Micro/Ultra Filtration Treatment Facility, is currently in design and projected to be constructed by 2015.

It is not anticipated that Benzene will be present in the Colorado River because of its volatility characteristics. The District will continue to maintain routine monitoring procedures for Benzene and other Volatile Organic Compounds even after this situation has been resolved demonstrating our commitment to provide high quality water to our customers.

Here’s a report from Dennis Webb writing for The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel:

The Clifton Water District said Tuesday it has been monitoring the benzene contamination in Parachute Creek, but tests of the Colorado River continue to show no evidence of the carcinogen. A leak of natural gas liquids leaving the Williams gas processing plant has resulted in small amounts of benzene reaching the creek. However, samples farther down the creek show no sign of the substance, which readily dissipates in moving water.

Clifton Water said in a news release that it doesn’t anticipate benzene reaching the river because of its volatility.

The creek “is a very small tributary to the Colorado River, which is the water supply for the Clifton Water District,” the utility added.

It said it “has been proactively monitoring the Colorado River in multiple locations for 25 volatile organic compounds, including benzene. But its certified lab has found no VOCs in any of the samples.

The district has routinely tested the river for VOCs since 1986 and will continue doing so after the leak situation is resolved, it noted. It also has been installing advanced water treatment technology to better address sediment and other issues involving the river water.

Last week, benzene in Parachute Creek barely exceeded the state drinking water maximum of 5 parts per billion. However, the creek isn’t designated as a drinking water source by Colorado’s Water Quality Control Commission, and instead a 5,300-ppb standard applies to protect aquatic life. Williams reports that benzene readings at the highest point of contamination in the creek from Saturday through Monday were all above 4 but below 5 ppb, with Monday’s level at 4.7 ppb.

From the Associated Press (Alexandra Tilsley) via The Denver Post:

One of the main contaminants in the groundwater is benzene, according to Mark Salley, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which is currently overseeing the remediation efforts. Benzene, a known carcinogen, was also found earlier this month in Parachute Creek in concentrations above the state’s health standard, but levels have since dropped and officials insist there is no threat.

To remove the benzene from the creek, Williams injected air into the surface water to strip the hydrocarbons, a process known as air-sparging. The same technique is to remove surface hydrocarbons that are floating on top of the groundwater.

How to handle all the benzene-infected groundwater is the next question. The recovered water is currently being stored in tanks, and Williams said Friday it is planning to install a water treatment system that can separate the benzene from the water. “They’re working on the plans right now for a water treatment system,” said Tom Droege, a Williams spokesman. “It’s not in place yet, but once it’s up and running, then they’ll begin to treat the groundwater on a regular basis.”

The system will remove the benzene and any other hydrocarbons from the water through a multistep process. Contaminated water will first go through an oil and water separator. Then, it will move through an air stripper, which works like air-sparging. Finally, the water will be moved through activated carbon polishing tanks. The treated water will then return to a holding tank, where it will be tested to ensure it meets state health department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. Once officials have confirmed the water is safe, it will be returned to the aquifer. Any air emissions from the treatment system will be captured and treated according to the procedures approved by the Air Pollution Control Division of the state’s health department, Salley said.

The system is expected to be functional by the end of May.

More oil and gas coverage here and here.

Drought/snowpack news: ‘We definitely want to see that water stay in the system a little longer’ — Jon Monson #COdrought

It looks like the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District wants to store some of the late season snowpack in Granby Reservoir. Here’s a report from Eric Brown writing for The Greeley Tribune:

Additional water won’t be released from northern Colorado’s largest system of reservoirs, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s board of directors decided on Friday. The quota for the Colorado-Big Thompson Project will stay at 60 percent, according to Northern Water spokesman Brian Werner.

The decision came as a disappointment to farmers, who are in the midst of spring planting and in search of more water for the growing season.

But it was applauded by city water officials, who want to keep as much water as possible in storage for the future.

The two river basins that collect snowmelt for the C-BT Project’s 12 reservoirs had seen huge improvements in snowpack since the Northern Water board set its water quota at a lower-than-average 60 percent last month. With the recent snowpack upswing, the Northern Water board considered increasing the water quota during its meeting Friday, but in the end, the board agreed the quota needed to stay where it is so less water is used this year and reservoirs can be refilled.

The C-BT Project’s reservoirs were depleted throughout 2012, as water users heavily relied on water in storage to get through an extreme drought.

Werner said the Northern Water board will continue evaluating the C-BT quota at its monthly meetings. If the board were to increase the C-BT water quota by 10 percent, for example, that would make available an additional 31,000 acre-feet of water — or about 10 billion gallons — to northern Colorado cities, industries, farmers and ranchers.

Since the C-BT project went into use in 1957, the Northern Water board has set a quota to balance how much water could be used through the growing seasons and how much water needed to stay in storage for future years. The historic average for the C-BT quota has been just above 70 percent, according to Werner.

Throughout the spring, water officials from cities — including Jon Monson, director of the city of Greeley’s water and sewer department — had generally pushed for a quota of about 50-60 percent, and were glad Friday to see that it was staying in that range. “We definitely want to see that water stay in the system a little longer,” Monson said of the C-BT Project, which supplies anywhere from 30-50 percent of Greeley’s water demand, and also provides water to users in eight northern Colorado counties.

Many farmers, on the other hand, have asked for a quota of about 70 percent. “We’d like to have more water, but we also understand the need to refill reservoirs,” said Frank Eckhardt, a LaSalle-area farmer and board member for various irrigation ditch companies and water districts.

Eckhardt said the recent snow and rain will help the spring planting of corn, sugar beets, onions and other crops get off to a good start, but he and others worry about running into water shortages down the road if precipitation is less frequent. “That’s when we really might need some extra water,” Eckhardt said, noting that he hopes the Northern Water board will look at increasing the C-BT quota this summer if the upcoming months are hot and dry.

From the Northern Colorado Business Report:

Despite plentiful spring snows and rain, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Board has opted not to boost the amount of water it will provide to its members this year, deciding instead to maintain the quota at 60 percent. “It came down to the over-riding concern that we have to build reserves back up in a year like this,” said Brian Werner, the district’s spokesman.

Werner said Northern’s reservoir storage levels are 30 percent below average, due to last year’s drought. “That’s a big hole,” Werner said.

From the National Weather Service Pueblo office:

CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE HAVE RANGED FROM 125 TO 175 PERCENT OF NORMAL…DUE TO A COOL NORTHWEST FLOW WEATHER PATTERN. THISCOOL AND WET WEATHER PATTERN HAS ALLOWED FOR SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DROUGHT ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY. HOWEVER…THIS WEATHER PATTERN DID NOT BRING MUCH PRECIPITATION TO WESTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE…WITH PRECIPITATION TOTALS OVER THE PAST TWO MONTH RANGING FROM 25 TO 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF THE REST OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO.

WITH THIS IN MIND…THE CURRENT US DROUGHT MONITOR CONTINUES TO INDICATE MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO IN EXCEPTIONAL (D4) DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THIS INCLUDES SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF EL PASO COUNTY…CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF PUEBLO COUNTY…CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY…AS WELL AS ALL OF CROWLEY…OTERO…KIOWA…BENT…PROWERS AND BACA COUNTIES.

EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO BE INDICATED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN FREMONT COUNTY…SOUTHWESTERN THROUGH EAST CENTRAL TELLER COUNTY AND MOST OF THE REST OF PUEBLO AND EL PASO COUNTIES. EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) CONDITIONS ALSO REMAIN INDICATED ACROSS EASTERN HUERFANO COUNTY AND WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY.

SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO BE DEPICTED ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN THROUGH EAST CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY…NORTHWESTERN THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN FREMONT COUNTY…NORTHERN TELLER COUNTY…NORTHWESTERN EL PASO COUNTY…EXTREME WESTERN PUEBLO COUNTY…WESTERN HUERFANO COUNTY AND EXTREME NORTHWESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY…AS WELL AS ALL OF CUSTER…SAGUACHE…RIO GRANDE…CONEJOS…ALAMOSA AND COSTILLA COUNTIES.

MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS REMAIN ACROSS LAKE COUNTY AND NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF CHAFFEE COUNTY.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE US DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFICATION SCHEME CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU/CLASSIFY.HTM

SUMMARY OF IMPACTS…

DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXPERIENCED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS HAS IMPACTED SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO IN MANY WAYS…INCLUDING INCREASED WILDFIRE ACTIVITY AND DANGER…FAILED AND POOR YIELD ON NON IRRIGATED CROPS…CATTLE LOSS AND ABANDONMENT…AS WELL AS QUESTIONS ON WATER AVAILABILITY AND WATER RIGHTS.

AS A RESULT OF THE PERSISTENT DRY CONDITIONS…GOVERNOR HICKENLOOPER HAS ACTIVATED THE STATES DROUGHT RESPONSE AND MITIGATION PLAN TO ENSURE THAT THE STATE IS DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ADDRESS THESE DROUGHT RELATED IMPACTS. MANY LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAVE ALSO IMPLEMENTED DROUGHT RESPONSE MEASURES…INCLUDING MANDATORY WATERING RESTRICTIONS.

THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO HELP INDIVIDUALS DETERMINE WHAT THE RESTRICTIONS IN THEIR SPECIFIC COMMUNITY ARE: WWW.COH2O.CO

FIRE DANGER IMPACTS…

SOME BENEFICIAL MOISTURE HAS BEEN RECEIVED ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH COLORADO OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. HOWEVER…THIS HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH TO ACCELERATE GREEN UP AND ALLEVIATE THE MODERATE TO HIGH FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE AREA…WITH SEVERAL SMALL WILD FIRE STARTS REPORTED ACROSS THE AREA OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

A CONTINUED LACK OF MOISTURE…ALONG WITH INCREASING TEMPERATURES AND THE START OF THE CONVECTIVE SEASON…WILL LIKELY KEEP HIGH FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE AREA AND COULD LEAD TO MORE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS INSTITUTING FIRE RESTRICTIONS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.

THE LATEST INFORMATION ON FIRE BANS AND RESTRICTIONS CAN BE FOUND AT:

WWW.COEMERGENCY.COM/P/FIRE-BANS-DANGER.HTML

AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS…

THE LATEST CPC AND VIC SOIL MOISTURE CALCULATIONS INDICATE SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. HOWEVER…DRIER TO MUCH DRIER THAN NORMAL SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS REMAIN DEPICTED ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO…WITH THE LARGEST DEFICITS INDICATED ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS.

THE LATEST USDA COLORADO CROP REPORT ALSO SUPPORTS THE DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE STATE…WITH 46 PERCENT OF TOP SOIL MOISTURE RATED AT SHORT OR VERY SHORT ACROSS THE STATE. THIS COMPARES TO 44 PERCENT OF TOP SOIL MOISTURE RATED AT SHORT OF VERY SHORT LAST WEEK AND TO ONLY 36 PERCENT AT THIS SAME TIME LAST YEAR. AS FOR SUBSOIL MOISTURE ACROSS THE STATE…74 PERCENT WAS RATED AT SHORT OF VERY SHORT THIS WEEK…COMPARED TO 80 PERCENT LAST WEEK AND TO ONLY 47 PERCENT AT THIS SAME TIME LAST YEAR.

THE LATEST PASTURE AND RANGE LAND CONDITIONS WERE RATED 73 PERCENT POOR TO VERY POOR…COMPARED TO THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE OF ONLY 32 PERCENT RATED AS POOR TO VERY POOR.

THE COLORADO CROP REPORT ALSO INDICATES ONLY 13 PERCENT OF THE WINTER WHEAT CROP REACHING THE JOINTING STATE AT THIS TIME. THIS IS WELL BEHIND THE 65 PERCENT RECORDED LAST YEAR AND THE OVERALL AVERAGE OF 50 PERCENT FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.

CLIMATE SUMMARY…

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN PUEBLO FOR THE PAST MONTH OF APRIL WAS 3.9 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL…MAKING APRIL OF 2013 TIED AS THE 11TH COLDEST ON RECORD. PUEBLO RECEIVED 0.30 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION ALONG WITH 3.4 INCHES OF SNOW THROUGH OUT THE MONTH…WHICH IS 1.10 INCHES AND 0.4 INCHES BELOW NORMAL…RESPECTIVELY.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN COLORADO SPRINGS FOR THE PAST MONTH OF APRIL WAS 3.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL…MAKING IT THE 23RD COLDEST APRIL ON RECORD. COLORADO SPRINGS RECEIVED 0.33 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH OUT THE MONTH…WHICH IS 1.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND MAKES APRIL OF 2013 THE 14TH DRIEST ON RECORD. COLORADO SPRINGS ALSO RECEIVED 3.6 INCHES OF SNOW THROUGH OUT THE MONTH OF APRIL…WHICH IS 1.3 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN ALAMOSA FOR THE PAST MONTH OF APRIL WAS 0.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. ALAMOSA RECEIVED 0.32 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION AND 2.2 INCHES OF SNOW THROUGH OUT THE MONTH…WHICH IS 0.27 INCHES AND 1.3 INCHES BELOW NORMAL…RESPECTIVELY.

From the Fort Collins Coloradan (Bobby Magill):

Northern Colorado has been bone dry since the summer of 2011, and it takes more than a few weeks of wet weather to make up for that.

“We are still very much in deficit over the longer term,” said Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken. “We are now above average for the current year by about an inch. It’s so much better than a year ago (that) it feels excessive.”

But the area has seen only 93 percent of normal wet precipitation during the past 365 days — 1.05 inches below normal, he said.

From May 10, 2012, to May 9, 2013, Fort Collins received 15.05 inches at the Colorado State University campus weather station, according to data compiled by Colorado Climate Center researcher Wendy Ryan. The normal precipitation for that period is 16.1 inches.

Though it’s early in the month, Fort Collins still hasn’t seen the full amount of precipitation it would normally get in a typical May despite all the rain and snow. The city normally receives about 2.5 inches of wet precipitation in May. So far, Fort Collins has officially received 2 inches…

The U.S. Drought Monitor, compiled by regional weather and climate scientists, considers how much precipitation has fallen in an area over the span of an entire year when determining whether a region is abnormally dry or significantly drought-stricken.

“If it was only short-term, we would be out of drought,” Doesken said.

From NASA Earth Observatory:

A round of late-spring snowstorms in 2013 offered a rare bit of positive news for reservoir watchers. Two of the three key river basins that feed Lake Powell—the Green River and the Upper Colorado River—saw much higher levels of precipitation in April than normal. The extra rain and snow provided critical relief for farmers, but hydrologists say that the precipitation was still too little to have much impact on the reservoir.

Snowpack peaked at 81 percent of average total accumulation in the Upper Colorado and Green, noted U.S. Bureau of Reclamation hydrologist Katrina Grantz. But the resulting runoff is likely to be only 45 percent of average because the parched soil is expected to absorb much of it. Some of the smaller reservoirs north of Lake Powell will get a boost, but Grantz expects Lake Powell to increase by only a few feet this spring and summer. Normal inflow from spring runoff, in comparison, would cause lake levels to rise by about 40 feet (12 meters).Randall Julander, a U.S. Department of Agriculture hydrologist, summed the situation up best. “Slight improvement in the Colorado basin water supply is like expecting a road-killed jackrabbit to feed a whole pack of hungry coyotes. It’s not nearly enough to go around,” he said.

Drought/snowpack/runoff news: Northern Colorado drought improves thanks to April/May moisture #COdrought

From The Denver Post:

The storms hit northern Colorado hard, boosting snowpack in the South Platte River basin to 99 percent from 71 percent, and in the Colorado and the combined Yampa, White and North Platte basins to 98 percent from 78 and 79 percent respectively. The news is more grim in southwestern Colorado, where the Rio Grande and the combined San Miguel, Animas, Dolores and San Juan basins logged major declines. As of May 1, the Rio Grande reported at 41 percent of median, the other southwest basins were at 43 percent of median. Peak snowpack in those basins was reached in early March and melt began in April.

Though the snowpack is still high in the major northern basins, the reservoirs in the region still have not recovered from two years of drought. Statewide, reservoir storage is about 74 percent of average and 68 percent of 2012. Because the melt has not yet begun, the conservation service said, those numbers could improve in the northern basins. However, in the south, storage levels are still low and the chance of improvement is slim.

Horsetooth’s water level has reached an elevation of 5410 feet. That’s only 20 feet from full and just 4 feet… fb.me/2fIRmesgU

— karalamb (@klamb) May 9, 2013

From The Durango Herald (Jordyn Dahl):

Despite the recent precipitation, the area still is in a severe drought with snowpack levels far below average. The San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan River basin is at 39 percent of average for snowpack, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. However, the basin is at 204 percent of last year’s snowpack.

Southwest Colorado never reached average snowpack levels during the winter, and what little snow the region did receive is melting quickly. The cooler temperatures will help slow the melting some, but it “will come off very quickly next week as we dry out,” Ramey said. “It will slow down the loss of snowpack, but we’re in a bad way,” he said. “It’s really the southwest corner of the state that is in the worst shape right now.”

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Five Southern Colorado counties received federal drought designation Wednesday. Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Huerfano and Las Animas counties received the designation from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper. The counties will be added to other counties on the Eastern Plains that already have had drought declarations.

The designation allows farmers to apply for emergency loans and other assistance from the Farm Service Agency. Colorado’s U.S. senators hailed the decision. “Colorado and the West are experiencing one of the most severe droughts on record. This ongoing drought threatens farm jobs and our agricultural economy throughout the state,” said Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo. “We need to act — and soon — on a new Farm Bill that strengthens farmers’ and ranchers’ hands as they confront this ongoing drought.”

“While areas of Colorado received late-season snow that brought some much-needed moisture to our state, the drought over the past several years has tortured crops and pastures around the state — and dry conditions continue to persist in many counties,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. “These disaster designations will provide critical assistance to farmers and ranchers to help offset their losses due to the recent drought.”

Snowpack in the Rio Grande and Arkansas River basins remains well below peak levels and irrigated farms typically use 85 percent of the water.

Drought conditions have improved in central & northern CO, still very dry elsewhere. #cowx #drought #coclimate twitter.com/ColoradoClimat…

— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) May 9, 2013

Tons of water fell on Colorado yesterday! South metro Denver saw well over an inch! #cowx #coclimate #cocorahs twitter.com/ColoradoClimat…

— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) May 9, 2013

From The Aspen Times (Scott Condon):

Aspen received its second-highest amount of snowfall for April since 1935 and the second-highest amount of total precipitation since 1951, according to the weather watchers at the Aspen Water Treatment Plant. The plant recorded nearly 38.5 inches of snow, second only to the whopping 56 inches that fell just two years ago, during the winter that wouldn’t end in April and May 2011. The average is just 15.7 inches. Total precipitation, including the snow-water equivalent from the snow, was about 4 inches in April. That compares with an average of 2.17 inches. It rained or snowed on 15 of the 30 days of the month, resurrecting the feeling of “mud season” from years gone by.

The rainy and snowy month created an oddity with the snowpack east of Aspen near the headwaters of the Roaring Fork River. The snowpack there peaked on April 18, nine days later than average. So when the snowpack is usually melting out, it was still building in the Roaring Fork basin.

The snowpack was 81 percent of the median east of Aspen on Wednesday and 100 percent of the median for the Roaring Fork basin overall, which includes the Fryingpan and Crystal river valleys, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service…

The weather reversal has eased drought conditions in Colorado’s central and northern mountains, but the moisture isn’t spilling into the Eastern Plains. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Drought Monitor shows that the southeast quarter of Colorado remains rated in the worst level of drought at “exceptional.” Pitkin County, Eagle County and most of Garfield County have been reclassified to “moderate” drought, the second-lowest in the five-point intensity scale…

In the Roaring Fork Valley, the late snowfall will make for a great boating season on Ruedi Reservoir. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation forecast about one month ago that the reservoir wouldn’t fill this year, based on snowpack totals. Now it appears that it will come close to filling, said Kara Lamb, spokeswoman for the agency. The reservoir is 62 percent full, with the flow of water coming in at 195 cubic feet per second and the release at 109 cfs.

From The Mountain Mail (Paul Goetz):

Statewide snowpack climbed to 83 percent of median as of May 1, up from 74 percent of median measured April 1. U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service officials announced Monday that snowpack totals in the Arkansas River Basin increased to 82 percent of median, up from 74 percent April 1. The increase comes after an unseasonably cool and wet April, which allowed snowpack to increase to near normal accumulation totals. “Those wet storms really improved our water supplies, especially along the Front Range and Upper Colorado River Basin,” said Phyllis Ann Phillips, state conservationist with the NRCS.

Snowpack typically begins to melt, and the runoff season begins in April. Snowpack totals were not reached until April 24, 2 weeks later than the long-term average date of peak accumulation.

Statewide maximum accumulation totals for 2013 ended up being 80 percent of the normal seasonal maximum.

Storm systems that moved through the state in April focused on northern Colorado, completely missing the southwest portion of the state. In the north, snowpack totals in the South Platte River Basin increased from 71 percent of median on April 1 to 99 percent of median on May 1. Both the Colorado River Basin and the combined Yampa, White and North Platte basins were reported at 98 percent of median on May 1, up from 78 and 79 percent of median measured on April 1.

In contrast, further south the Rio Grande and combined San Miguel, Animas, Dolores and San Juan basins saw declines in their snowpack percentages over the past month. As of May 1 the Rio Grande reported snowpack totals at 41 percent of median and the southwest basins were at 43 percent of median; both basins reached their seasonal peak snowpack in early March and began melting out in April.

With the additional snowfall in April, the water supply outlook has improved for most of the state’s seven major river basins. All basins, except for those in the southwest portion of the state, saw improvements to their streamflow forecasts this month.

While most forecasts across the state still call for below-normal runoff volumes this season, some of the forecasts for the headwaters of the Colorado and South Platte basins are now near to slightly above average.

Statewide reservoir storage volumes are currently 74 percent of average and 68 percent of 2012’s volumes.

In the northern basins the recent snow accumulation has yet to run off and should help improve storage and extend water supplies further into the summer season.

In the southern basins, storage levels remain low, and the probability of vast improvement this season is slim.

S. 306 (small hydro) passes out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):

A measure that would allow for quicker construction of hydropower projects on canals, pipes and other U.S. Bureau of Reclamation conduits on Wednesday passed its first test in the Senate.

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who plans to sign on as a cosponsor of the measure, S. 306, voted for it in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which approved the bill. The next step for the measure is a vote on the Senate floor.

The measure by U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., already passed the House, 265-154, last month and Udall supported it Wednesday as S. 306 passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The measure would eliminate unnecessary and duplicative administrative and regulatory costs, Udall said in a statement, noting that “hydro-electric power has an important role to play in helping the United States achieve true energy self-reliance.”

The measure is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. John Barasso, R-Wyo.

Once the measure becomes law, the water flowing through small Bureau of Reclamation-operated conduits could generate enough electricity to power 1 million homes, Tipton said in a statement.

Udall is a cosponsor of a separate measure sponsored by U.S. Rep Diana DeGette, D-Colo., that would ease construction of small hydropower projects on conduits operated under the auspices of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Colorado River Basin: Annual ‘State of the Rivers — Mesa County’ meeting May 13 #ColoradoRiver

From email from the Water Center at Colorado Mesa University:

State of the Rivers Meeting

The Water Center at CMU is pleased co-sponsor the annual “State of the Rivers – Mesa County” meeting with the Colorado River District on Monday, May 13 from 5:30 – 7:30pm in the Colorado Mesa University Ballroom.

This meeting will address our current & projected water supply situation, water banking to deal with shortages, and salinity control programs. Light refreshments will be provided.

More Colorado River Basin coverage here and here

Fountain Creek: Snow instead of rain helps with flash flooding potential at the Waldo Canyon burn scar

From the The Colorado Springs Gazette (Andrea Sinclair):

Heavy snowfall Thursday morning caused school delays, a power outage and a tough commute for Woodland Park residents, but weather analysts said it was a blessing in disguise. National Weather Service forecaster Patrick Cioffi said parts of Teller County county saw a foot of snow. If that had been rain, Cioffi said, flash flooding would have been a dangerous certainty. At 6 p.m., forecasters downgraded a flood watch in place for the Waldo Canyon burn scar to a flood advisory, a move that indicated the worst conditions had passed, for now.

The May 1 Colorado Basin Outlook Report is hot off the press, things are looking up north #COdrought

Click on the thumbnail graphic for the May 1 statewide snowpack map by sub-basin along with the May 1 streamflow forecast by basin from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Click here to read the report. Here’s the introduction:

Summary

After three consecutive months of below average snow accumulation in Colorado, multiple storm systems in April finally brought the moisture we had been hoping for all season. The state received above average precipitation during April which primarily occurred as snow, and brought snowpack totals to near normal levels in the northern basins. Unfortunately the southern portion of the state did not benefit from these storm systems. Warm and dry conditions dominated the Upper Rio Grande basin, the combined San Juan, Dolores, Animas, & San Miguel basins and the southern tributaries of the Gunnison basins during April. Reservoir storage remains below average across most of the state but conditions should improve in the northern basins as the recent snow begins to runoff. The most recent streamflow forecasts mimic the snow and precipitation conditions across the state; big improvements in the northern basins and further decline in the southern basins. Overall though the water supply outlook this month is better than just a month ago, this just goes to show how big of a difference just a few snowy weeks can make.

Snowpack

The wet weather pattern that started in late March continued into May and brought impressive improvements to snowpack percentages. After four consecutive months of snowpack reports that hovered in the low 70 percent range, the state snowpack recorded a significant gain this past month. Snowpack measurements recorded by automated SNOTEL sites and manual snow surveys across the state showed an increase of 9 percentage points from last month’s report. As of May 1 the snowpack was at 83 percent of median. This was a very unusual April, in most years the snow accumulation season ends in early April, and the rest of the month is normally characterized as the beginning of runoff season. The watersheds in the northern part of the state saw the largest benefit from the snowy April, posting increases that ranged from 28 percentage points (in the South Platte basin) to 15 percentage points (in the Yampa and White basins). Unfortunately, basins to the south saw similar changes in their snowpack percentages, but in the opposite direction. The Upper Rio Grande and the combined San Juan, Dolores, Animas, and San Miguel basins saw decreases of 28 to 30 percentage points respectively.

Precipitation

Statewide precipitation, measured by the SNOTEL network, was 114 percent of average this April and 197 percent of last year’s April totals. April was only the second month to record above average statewide precipitation this water year, with the previous month being back in December. The relatively wet month increased the water year to date totals to 80 percent of average on May 1, and 103 percent of last year’s cumulative precipitation on the same date. Precipitation was quite variable throughout the state in April, it was really a story of the haves and the have not’s. The combined Yampa, White and North Platte basins recorded precipitation at146 percent of average for the month, the Colorado basin was at 140 percent of average and the South Platte was at 143 of average. The Gunnison basin ended up at 101 percent of average for the month as a result of half the basin receiving decent precipitation and the other half missing out on the storms. The lowest percent of average for the month was reported in the combined San Juan, Animas, Dolores and San Miguel basins with 48 percent of average.

Reservoir Storage

The cool, wet weather we experienced in April delayed the expected increase in reservoir storage volumes this month. Reservoir storage across the state is at 74 percent of average as of May 1, and 68 percent of last year’s May1 storage amounts. The late season snowfall provides an optimistic outlook for storage improvements in the northern basins this spring. The additional runoff in these basins should extend water supplies further into the summer season. In the southern basins, storage levels remain well below average and the probability of vast improvements this season are slim. All in all we are still feeling the effects of the previous bleak winter but some basins should be able to replenish their reservoirs this season.

Streamflow

Most major basins in Colorado saw improvements to their streamflow forecasts this month. The northern basins once again boasted the greatest changes compared to last month; on average April to July forecasts in the combined Yampa, White and North Platte basins, the Colorado basin and the South Platte basin increased by 20 percentage points from those issued last month. A few of the headwater streams in the Colorado and South Platte basins are now expected to see near average flows. Despite these improvements, the majority of the forecasts in these basins still call for below average runoff this spring and summer season. On the flip side, current forecasts for the combined San Miguel, Dolores, Animas, and San Juan basins and the Upper Rio Grande basin call for streamflow volumes in the 30 to 50 percent of average range.

Special Note on Interpreting Forecasts

According to the National Water and Climate Center (NWCC), “a water supply forecast is a prediction of streamflow volume that will flow past a point on a stream during a specified season, typically in the spring and summer. These forecasts are given not as a single number, but as a range of numbers to reflect risk and forecast uncertainty. Each month, five forecasts are issued for each forecast point and each forecast period. Unless otherwise specified, all forecasts are for streamflow volumes that would occur naturally without any upstream influences.”

The forecasts we typically emphasize in this report are the 50 percent exceedance probability forecasts because they are in the middle of the range of forecasts with 50 percent chance that actual volumes will be above or below the predicted volume. The 50 percent exceedance forecasts assume that typical weather patterns will prevail into the forecast season. In a water year such as this one, when conditions have been anything but typical, it is important to pay attention to the other forecasts provided. If cool, wet conditions prevail into the rest of this spring and summer it may be prudent to use the 50 or 30 percent exceedance forecasts for management purposes this season. If conditions get very hot and dry this spring, actual streamflow volumes may be more in line with the 50 or 70 percent exceedance forecasts.

Snowpack/drought news: Northern Water may kick up the C-BT quota Friday #COdrought

Click on the thumbnail graphics for the current statewide snowpack map along with the basin high/low graphs for the Upper Colorado River Basin and the South Platte River Basin.

From The Greeley Tribune (Eric Brown):

The two river basins that provide water to the northern Front Range saw the biggest snowpack upswings in the state during April, according to a report released this week by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s board of directors will take those improvements into account when it convenes for a meeting Friday, when board members will discuss increasing the water quota for the Colorado-Big Thompson Project — the largest water-supply project in northern Colorado.

According to the NRCS report, snowpack in the South Platte River basin stood at 99 percent of historic average on May 1, after sitting at just 69 percent of average on April 1. Snowpack in the Colorado River basin was 98 percent of average on May 1 — up from 74 percent of average on April 1.

Because snowpack numbers were low prior to April’s barrage of snow storms, Northern Water board members set a lower-than-average water quota of 60 percent at its meeting last month.

If the board were to increase the C-BT water quota by 10 percent, for example, that would make available an additional 31,000 acre-feet of water — or about 10 billion gallons — to northern Colorado cities, industries, farmers and ranchers. But Northern Water spokesman Brian Werner said this week there’s no guarantee that will happen.

“It’s still probably about 50/50,” Werner said. “We’ve seen some big improvements in snowpack, but we still have some big holes to fill.” Those “big holes” are the C-BT Project’s reservoirs, which were depleted throughout 2012, as water users heavily relied on water in storage to get through an extreme drought.

The reservoir levels listed in the NRCS’s recent report were a mixed bag for water users in northern Colorado. The South Platte River basin’s collective reservoir levels were at 87 percent of average on May 1, but the Colorado River basin’s reservoir levels were at just 67 percent of average. While the Colorado River flows in the opposite direction of the northern Front Range, some the C-BT Project’s 12 reservoirs are located in that river basin, with that water tunneled from the West Slope to East Slope users.

Since the C-BT project went into use in 1957, the Northern Water board has set a quota to balance how much water could be used through the upcoming growing season and how much water needed to stay in storage for future years. The historic average for the C-BT quota has been just above 70 percent, according to Werner.

Before setting its quota in April, the Northern Board listened to input from its water users. That meeting drew about 250 people — a record-high attendance for Northern Water’s April meeting, Werner said. At the meeting, officials from cities generally pushed for a quota of about 50-60 percent, wanting to keep it relatively low and save as much water as possible for the future. However, many farmers in attendance — those who are planting crops and need to know soon how much water they’ll have for the growing season — asked for a quota of about 70 percent.

Many area farmers are hopeful that April’s abundance of snow will convince the Northern Water board to increase the C-BT quota on Friday. Not only would releasing more water increase direct flows to the region’s rivers and irrigation ditches, it might convince cities to lease more water to agricultural users, some farmers and ranchers said. “It would make a substantial difference,” Randy Knutson, who farms in the Greeley area, said of an increase in the C-BT water quota. “Every little bit will help.”

Weekly Climate, Water and Drought Assessment of the Upper Colorado River Region #ColoradoRiver

Click on the thumbnail graphic for the April 29 through May 5 precipitation summary map for the Upper Colorado River Regions. Click here for all the summaries.

Greeley’s Water Conservation Newsletter for May is hot off the press #COdrought

Check out Greeley’s May #WaterConservation e-newsletter: app.streamsend.com/s/1/pBJK/FKMF1… #WaterWednesday

— Greeley Water Dept. (@greeleywater) May 8, 2013

Drought/snowpack news: April snowfall softens drought in northern Colorado #COdrought

Click on the thumbnail graphics for the current US Drought Monitor and the current 3-month drought outlook from the Climate Prediction Center.

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Bobby Magill):

Northern Colorado’s drought appears to be headed into remission following dousing after dousing of heavy snow and rain since the middle of April.

At least that’s the case for a doughnut hole in the region’s drought — an area roughly surrounding Fort Collins, Greeley and Longmont.

Drought conditions in most of Larimer, Boulder and western Weld counties and southern Laramie County, Wyo., are being downgraded from “moderate” drought conditions to merely abnormally dry.

Wednesday’s Colorado Climate Center drought report shows that above-average precipitation in April and an additional 1 to 2 inches of moisture during the first week of May in Northern Colorado has turned the region soggy enough to pause drought for now…

Colorado outside of Larimer, Boulder and Weld counties remains under moderate to extreme drought conditions, particularly southern Colorado were conditions are worsening…

Snowpack in Northern Colorado’s mountains is above-normal for this time of year, with the snow in the South Platte River Basin, which includes the Poudre River, at 105 percent of normal. The Colorado River Basin is 104 percent of normal.

Southern Colorado’s quickly-melting snowpack is hurting badly, however. The Rio Grande Basin’s snow is only 31 percent of normal, and the San Juan River Basin is 40 percent of normal.

Snowpack news: ‘Mother Nature has been nothing but miserly to the Rio Grande basin’ — Matt Hildner #COdrought

Click on the thumbnail graphics for the current statewide snowpack map along with the basin high/low graphs for the Upper Rio Grande and the San Miguel,Dolores, Animas and San Juan basins.

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):

While the northern part of the state and parts of the Arkansas River basin were given reprieves by a string of April snowstorms, Mother Nature has been nothing but miserly to the Rio Grande basin. The snowpack report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service lists the basin’s snowpack at 40 percent of its normal peak at the end of April. “It’s not a good year at all,” Division Engineer Craig Cotten said Tuesday.

The federal agency also is forecasting a flow of only 225,000 acre-feet on the Rio Grande River from April to September. Should those forecasts hold, Cotten said this year would mark the fourth lowest flows on record for the Rio Grande since the state began recording them in 1889.

Forecasts are just as bad on the Conejos River in the southwestern corner of the San Luis Valley, where only 113,000 acre-feet are predicted through September.

The dreary numbers are mitigated slightly by the fact that this year’s runoff did not come as early as last year, giving irrigators a better chance to take advantage of them, Cotten said.

The dry forecast also means the state will not have to send much water downstream to satisfy the Rio Grande Compact, which governs how Colorado, New Mexico and Texas share the river. Cotten’s office projects that only 4 percent of the flows on the Rio Grande will need to be sent downstream, and the Conejos, which also has obligations under the compact, will have no delivery requirement.

Craig Cotten division engineer Dry weather is likely to remain, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, which predicts a likelihood of below-normal precipitation from May through July in South-Central Colorado. The rest of May may hold a brief respite as the center is predicting a likelihood of above-normal precipitation.

2013 Colorado legislation: House Joint Resolution 1026 (Protect Agricultural Water Supplies) passes the state House #COleg

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The state House Tuesday passed a bipartisan resolution to protect Colorado’s water supply and recognize the benefits irrigated agriculture provides to Colorado. “We want to make sure we protect water, it’s a precious resource,” said Rep. Lori Saine, R-Dacono. “Water is the lifeblood of our state. I’m glad to see bipartisan support for this resolution.”

House Joint Resolution 1026 calls on the Legislature to work with Gov. John Hickenlooper and Colorado’s water community to continue addressing Colorado’s predicted water supply-demand imbalance. HJR1026 recognizes the importance of Colorado’s irrigated agriculture and encourages investment in outreach and education to increase Coloradans’ awareness of how beneficial irrigated agriculture is to Colorado.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board and Interbasin Compact Committee have been working on meeting future demand for more than a decade. Hickenlooper wants to have a state water plan in place by 2016. “Agriculture contributes about $40 billion to our state’s economy,” Saine said. “We have to make sure that water rights are protected.”

More than 85 percent of Colorado’s water use is for agriculture, but a growing amount is required for city and industrial uses.
“Our water demands will only increase going forward,” Saine added.

More 2013 Colorado legislation coverage here.

Snowpack/drought news: Statewide snowpack declines to 71% of avg, South Platte = 102% (best in state) #COdrought

Click on the thumbnail graphics for the current statewide snowpack map and the statewide basin high/low graph from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Here’s a look at expected runoff in the North Platte Basin from the Bureau of Reclamation:

The Bureau of Reclamation’s Wyoming Area Office has prepared snowmelt runoff forecasts for the North Platte River Basin. According to Wyoming Area Manager Coleman Smith, the May 1 forecast indicates below average spring snowmelt runoff for the North Platte Basin.

April through July runoff in the North Platte Basin above Glendo Dam is expected to be 518,000 acre feet (AF) or 55 percent of the 30-year average of 944,600 AF. Approximately 450,000 AF (60 percent of average) of runoff is expected to enter Seminoe Reservoir (of which 50,000 AF was received in April) with an additional 18,000 AF (30 percent of average) being provided to Pathfinder Reservoir from the Sweetwater River (of which 6,500 AF was received April), and the balance of 50,000 AF (37 percent of average) coming from the basin between Pathfinder Reservoir and Glendo Reservoir (of which 14,900 AF was received in April).

The water in storage for delivery to North Platte Contractors as of April 30, 2013 is 349,400 AF or 45 percent of average.

Smith said, “Reclamation is advising North Platte Project water users that an allocation is expected. With reservoir storage well below average and below average inflow forecasted for April through July, water users will need to take measures to conserve the available water supply.”

With the current forecast, river flows throughout the system are expected to be much less than average.

From the Leadville Herald Democrat (Carol Werckman):

A record accumulation of snowfall in one hour was measured by the Herald’s weather guru. Charles Kuster, during the storm early Sunday morning – 3.6 inches between 12:07 and 1:07 a.m. Before that storm, the greatest accumulation of snowfall he had measured during his 30 years or so in Lake County was recorded during a very late storm on June 8, 1984, when he measured 3.1 inches in one hour during a storm that dropped 11.6 heavy, wet inches.

From The Greeley Tribune (Whitney Phillips):

Wednesday’s barrage of heavy, wet snow — an unwelcome sight to some residents who spent the weekend basking in temperatures upward of 70 degrees — was not as uncommon as some might think.

Kari Bowen a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said data dating back to the 1800s shows that systems like the one that dumped about 3 to 5 inches in the Greeley area isn’t an anomaly. “Every few years we do tend to get these late, spring snowstorms,” she said.

Todd Dankers, another meteorologist with the weather service, said there’s about a 38 percent chance of snowfall in May, and most storms produce several inches. “This is kind of on the heavy side for May storms but not uncommon,” Dankers said.

Dankers said snowfall readings were higher in the Fort Collins and Boulder areas, with the more western parts of the Front Range receiving anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of snow.

From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):

Spring storms that repeatedly targeted the north-central mountains of Colorado in April help bring the snowpack to near normal in a few river basins. The May 1 snow survey showed the statewide snowpack climbing up to 83 percent of average for the date, the highest level of the year…

The storm systems that moved through in April were mainly focused on northern Colorado while completely missing the southwest portion of the state. Snowpack totals in the South Platte River basin increased from 71 percent of median on April 1 to 99 percent of median on May 1. Both the Colorado River basin and the combined Yampa, White and North Platte basins were reported to be at 98 percent of median on May 1 up from 78 and 79 percent of median measured on April 1. The Colorado and South Platte basins are crucial for Denver Water supplies and reservoir storage.

From KUNC (Erin O’Toole):

Last year at this time, Northern Colorado’s snowpack was only at 23 percent of average. Poudre River commissioner Mark Simpson says this year is a different story.

“We measured snow right at the end of April,” Simpson says. “We came up with a 94 percent average for the basin of the Poudre – and that was right before this last storm hit. So I think we’re pretty close to average, which is phenomenal compared to last year.”

With water levels so bad in 2012 rafting outfitters had a bad season. One Poudre Canyon operator, Mountain Whitewater Descents, cited a 60 percent drop in business.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide to pass 400 PPM sometime this month for the first time in 400 million years

From Ecology.com (Bob Petz):

Chances are that in the next few days, the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere will exceed 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in about 4 million years.

Recently, Mauna Loa Observatory on the big island of Hawaii has been regularly recording daily CO2 levels above 399 ppm, with several hours already exceeding 400.

Considering that carbon levels tend to peak in mid-May, one or more daily averages above 400 in the next few weeks is a near certainty. Yesterday’s reading, May 5, was 399.54 ppm.

While crossing the 400 ppm threshold is largely symbolic, the rate at which atmospheric carbon is increasing is anything but. When Mauna Loa began measuring CO2 in 1958, CO2 was running @ 317 ppm. Unless we begin to seriously slow the rate of greenhouse gas emissions now, we’re on track to surpass 450 ppm within 30 years.

Mauna Loa Observatory, operated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, not only has the longest continuous history of monitoring CO2 concentrations, but thanks in part to its location, its measurements are regarded as the baseline standard for atmospheric carbon.

At 11, 335 feet (3,397 m) above sea level, Mauna Loa’s sits above low-level, local pollution and temperature inversion layers. Its location in the mid-Pacific also isolates it from major sources of pollution.

More climate change coverage here and here.

The COGCC fines Antero $150,000 for produced-water pipeline leak near Rifle

From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dennis Webb):

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved a $150,000 fine Monday against Antero Resources in connection with a leak from a produced-water pipeline that resulted in oily contamination of groundwater and soil near Rifle. The fine was part of a consent agreement reached with Antero. The commission says Antero violated rules on pollution and management of waste in the incident, discovered in July 2010.

The leak from a faulty weld in a plastic pipe resulted in seeps of a paraffin-like substance in a nearby gravel pit owned by Grant Brothers Construction, and caused high levels of benzene, a carcinogen, in the groundwater. The oil-laden water came from 36 wells on five well pads in the Colorado River floodplain, the commission said.

Before the commission acted Monday, Commissioner Richard Alward of Grand Junction expressed concern about how much time has lapsed since the leak’s discovery. “It’s now 2013, and we’re now finally resolving things,” he said.

Commission staff said the delay was because Antero tried several approaches to cleaning it up, finally settling on full excavation, which was completed last September. The state then allowed for another half-year of environmental monitoring.

Denver-based Antero no longer operates in Colorado, having sold its assets in the Piceance Basin to Ursa Resources in order to focus on drilling in the eastern U.S.

More oil and gas coverage here and here.

Colorado’s water supply benefits from late season storms

Click on the thumbnail graphic to view the snowpack and storage table from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Here’s the release from the NRCS (Mage Skordahl):

Unseasonably cool and wet weather throughout April allowed Colorado’s snowpack to increase to near normal accumulation totals. After an entire month of favorable storm tracks, May 1 snow surveys showed that the statewide snowpack percentage climbed to 83 percent of median from 74 percent of median measured on April 1, according to the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “Those wet storms really improved our water supplies, especially along the Front Range and Upper Colorado River basin”, said Phyllis Ann Phillips, State Conservationist with the NRCS. April is typically the month in which the snowpack in Colorado begins to melt and the runoff season begins. This season, peak snowpack totals for the state were not reached until April 24th, over two weeks later than the long term average date of peak accumulation. Statewide maximum accumulation totals for 2013 ended up being 80 percent of the normal seasonal maximum.

The moisture laden storm systems that moved through in April were mainly focused on northern Colorado while completely missing the southwest portion of the state. Snowpack totals in the South Platte River basin increased from 71 percent of median on April 1 to 99 percent of median on May 1. Both the Colorado River basin and the combined Yampa, White and North Platte basins were reported to be at 98 percent of median on May 1 up from 78 and 79 percent of median measured on April 1. In contrast to these success stories, the Rio Grande and combined San Miguel, Animas, Dolores and San Juan basins saw major declines in their snowpack percentages this past month. As of May 1 the Rio Grande reported snowpack totals at 41 percent of median and the southwest basins were at 43 percent of median; both basins reached their seasonal peak snowpack in early March and began melting out in April.

With the additional snowfall in April, the water supply outlook has improved for most of the state’s seven major river basins. All basins, except for those in the southwest portion of the state, saw improvements to their streamflow forecasts this month. While most forecasts across the state still call for below normal runoff volumes this season, some of the forecasts for the headwaters of the Colorado and South Platte basins are now near to slightly above average.

Statewide reservoir storage volumes are currently 74 percent of average, and 68 percent of 2012′s volumes. The good news is that in the northern basins the recent snow accumulation has yet to run off and should help improve storage and extend water supplies further into the summer season. In the southern basins, storage levels remain low and the probability of vast improvements this season are slim.

Forecast news: Stormy week ahead #COdrought #COwx

#WaldoCanyon flood potential will be rising if the forecast from #ECMWF is correct. 16 day rain potential 1-3″ #cowx twitter.com/BrianBledsoe/s…

— Brian Bledsoe (@BrianBledsoe) May 6, 2013

From The Denver Post (Joey Bunch):

The National Weather Service said Sunday, “The weakly organized and slow-moving upper level storm system will take most of the upcoming week to move across Colorado.” Denver has a 30 percent chance of afternoon showers Monday, with midweek offering the best opportunity for rain in the metro region, when chances are 50 percent both Wednesday and Wednesday night. The region should see cooler-than-average highs near 60 each day, forecasters said. Rain is expected to begin in the mountains Monday afternoon and spread across the plains by the end of the week. Areas above 8,500 could get snow at times, according to the forecast.

Moisture will continue to increase across the area in the southwest flow ahead of an area of low pressure situated twitpic.com/con1bk

— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) May 6, 2013

From the National Weather Service Grand Junction office:

Moisture will continue to increase across the area in the southwest flow ahead of an area of low pressure situated off the northern California coast. A disturbance ejecting out in front of the low pressure system will generate more widespread showers and thunderstorms among both mountains and valleys today. The area of low pressure will slowly move eastward across the Great Basin tomorrow and near the Four Corners region on Wednesday. More instability and forcing coupled with some surface heating from the sun will allow storms to be greater in coverage and intensity Wednesday into Thursday. This unsettled weather will linger through Saturday, before the low finally moves out of the area. Expect showers and storms each day this week with cooler temperatures near to a few degrees below normal.

Snowpack/drought news: Late season storms boost prospects for angling in South Park #COdrought

“What an April we had,” Don Ament said to me Friday evening. The former Colorado Secretary of Agriculture was smiling big when we talked about April precipitation in Colorado.

Click on the thumbnail graphics for the current statewide snowpack map and the current statewide basin high/low graph from the Natural Resources Conservation Service along with the April 1-28 precipitation map for the Upper Colorado Basin from the Colorado Climate Center. It’s apparent that the melt out has started. Percent of average snowpack is less meaningful once the snowpack starts melting out but nonetheless the April snowfall was welcome.

From The Denver Post (Scott Willoughby):

Not to say that Colorado is in the clear when it comes to drought conditions, but the bountiful snows of April have made a major impact on several drought-stricken drainages. And that makes for some sweet relief among anglers focused on Park County’s most popular fishing holes. Just more than a month after Denver Water announced it would be draining the fabled fishery of Antero Reservoir for drought mitigation beginning May 1, water managers pulled the plug on the plan and announced last week that the reservoir atop the South Platte River chain will remain open to recreational fishermen for the foreseeable future…

South Park fishermen had been facing a brutal one-two punch as the larger Spinney Mountain Reservoir near Hartsel, just downstream from Antero, also has fallen victim of drought to the point that water levels are not expected to reach boat ramps this spring. While Spinney Mountain State Park opened to shore fishermen and hand-launched boats last Monday, the outlook on ramp use for trailer launches remains grim for the time being. Even though snowpack within the South Platte River basin broached 100 percent of average late last week, park managers say it will take much more continued moisture to start filling the depleted Park County reservoir again…

The brightest star on the South Park map is nearby Eleven Mile Reservoir, which is near full water capacity and opened to boating after the ice disappeared last Tuesday. Dedicated fisherman Greg Sheldon offered evidence of Eleven Mile at its prime with a boast of three trout over 25 inches in a single day last week. The largest, Sheldon said, was estimated at 30 inches long and 12 pounds.

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Bobby Magill):

The snow was so good that the water levels in Larimer County’s snowpack piled up to normal last week for the first time since spring 2011. The moisture the region has received since the beginning of April will prevent many farmers from having to irrigate at the beginning of the growing season, and it’ll postpone many of the water shortage worries that preoccupied growers early this year when the notion that 2012’s devastating drought might persist in its most severe form for another year…

Everyone who’s anyone in Northern Colorado’s water community is hedging bets on what all the moisture the region has received lately really means for the growing season, the wildfire season and the lawn-watering season in Northern Colorado. Northern Water, the water district that oversees the water the city of Fort Collins receives from the Colorado River via Horsetooth Reservoir, decided Thursday to hold off on updating its April 12 decision to give its member cities only 60 percent of the Colorado River water they’re entitled to each year. The reason is simple: Even with all the snow we have right now, the reservoirs on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park — think of them as buckets of water in a savings account — aren’t expected to fill up this spring as the snow melts. Northern Water has to make sure there’s enough water saved up in those buckets to ensure farmers, Fort Collins and other cities have enough water if severe drought returns again soon…

But the good news is that, unlike last year when the snow disappeared quickly in the March and April heat, the snowpack this year has taken its time to begin melting. The longer it remains, the longer the spring runoff period and the better the ability for reservoirs to fill naturally, Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doesken said. “It’s just a great way to quiet the drought,” he said…

“Full recovery from a drought takes some time,” said Joe Duda, interim director of the Colorado State Forest Service. Time to moisten the soil. Time to fill the reservoirs. Time to replenish aquifers. Time to get long-dormant mountain springs flowing again. “After a longer extended drought, one year doesn’t recover you from that,” Duda said. “You need several years so you not only get surface structures fully recharged, but you get that ground moisture up where it’s appropriate and adequate.”

It has been only a few months since the weather turned cooler and wetter than 2012, and all the fruits of such meteorological avarice could evaporate with only a few weeks of hot, dry weather…

Here’s how the two years compare: March and April 2012 saw 32 days of temperatures 65 degrees or higher in the Larimer County foothills; 15 of those days were warmer than 70 degrees, Mathewson said. During March and April 2013, the same area saw only eight days that were 65 degrees or warmer, four of which were above 70.

S. Platte River Basin hits 100% of its average snowpack! ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CO/Snow/snow/watershed/daily/co_update_snow.pdf

— United Water (@UnitedWaterCO) May 4, 2013

From the Albuquerque Journal (John Fleck):

The San Juan-Chama project, which imports water from the mountains of Colorado for use in New Mexico’s most populous cities, is likely to see shortfalls in one of every six years by the 2020s, and four out of every 10 years by the end of the century, according to researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The study comes as federal officials are warning that for the first time in the project’s 40-year history, the San Juan-Chama project may not deliver a full water supply in 2014. Whether the current shortage is a result of climate change or natural variability is uncertain, but this year’s shortfall could be “a harbinger of things to come,” the study’s authors wrote…

The federal project diverts water from the mountains of southern Colorado through a series of tunnels beneath the Continental Divide. It allows New Mexico’s populated central valley to use some of New Mexico’s share of the waters of the Colorado River Basin.

Total snowpack accumulations in CO #ColoradoRiver basins as of 5/3: facebook.com/media/set/?set… #CODrought

— Water Center at CMU (@WaterCenterCMU) May 3, 2013

NC basins currently 99% to 103% of their average May 3rd snowpack, and 95% to 100% of their average peak snowpack. twitter.com/NWSBoulder/sta…

— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 3, 2013

#Drought in #SoutheastColorado is worst I’ve ever seen. Gray grass is no bueno on May 4th #cowx twitter.com/BrianBledsoe/s…

— Brian Bledsoe (@BrianBledsoe) May 5, 2013

From The Colorado Springs Gazette (Monica Mendoza):

One billion gallons of water is no drop in the bucket. That amount of water could fill 1,515 Olympic-style swimming pools. And it is the amount Colorado Springs residents saved in April compared to water use in April 2012. It’s double the amount Colorado Springs Utilities managers hoped would be saved after instituting lawn watering restrictions for the first time since 2005. No doubt Mother Nature helped launch the conservation effort. April brought some precipitation to the city, although it was below average. On average, temperatures were 43 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, compared to last April when temperatures were 59 degrees.

From the Associated Press via The Denver Post:

The drought that ravaged large sections of the Midwest and Great Plains is over, disappearing this spring in a dramatic weather reversal: heavy rains and floods swamping fields with mud in many areas. But some farmers and ranchers in parts of the West and the plains, including southwest Oklahoma, are pondering the prospect of another year of a desert-like landscape and a disappointing harvest.

Breckenridge moisture now above average for the year wp.me/pJ91e-eO5

— Bob Berwyn (@bberwyn) May 6, 2013

NASA Opens New Era in Measuring Western U.S. Snowpack

Here’s the release from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):

A new NASA airborne mission has created the first maps of the entire snowpack of two major mountain watersheds in California and Colorado, producing the most accurate measurements to date of how much water they hold.

The data from NASA’s Airborne Snow Observatory mission will be used to estimate how much water will flow out of the basins when the snow melts. The data-gathering technology could improve water management for 1.5 billion people worldwide who rely on snowmelt for their water supply.

“The Airborne Snow Observatory is on the cutting edge of snow remote-sensing science,” said Jared Entin, a program manager in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Decision makers like power companies and water managers now are receiving these data, which may have immediate economic benefits.”

The mission is a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the California Department of Water Resources in Sacramento.

A Twin Otter aircraft carrying NASA’s Airborne Snow Observatory began a three-year demonstration mission in April that includes weekly flights over the Tuolumne River Basin in California’s Sierra Nevada and monthly flights over Colorado’s Uncompahgre River Basin. The flights will run through the end of the snowmelt season, which typically occurs in July. The Tuolumne watershed and its Hetch Hetchy Reservoir are the primary water supply for San Francisco. The Uncompahgre watershed is part of the Upper Colorado River Basin that supplies water to much of the western United States.

The mission’s principal investigator, Tom Painter of JPL, said the mission fills a critical need in an increasingly thirsty world, initially focusing on the western United States, where snowmelt provides more than 75 percent of the total freshwater supply.

“Changes in and pressure on snowmelt-dependent water systems are motivating water managers, governments and others to improve understanding of snow and its melt,” Painter said. “The western United States and other regions face significant water resource challenges because of population growth and faster melt and runoff of snowpacks caused by climate change. NASA’s Airborne Snow Observatory combines the best available technologies to provide precise, timely information for assessing snowpack volume and melt.”

The observatory’s two instruments measure two properties most critical to understanding snowmelt runoff and timing. Those two properties had been mostly unmeasured until now.

A scanning lidar system from the Canadian firm Optech Inc. of Vaughan, Ontario, measures snow depth with lasers to determine the first property, snow water equivalent. Snow water equivalent represents the amount of water in the snow on a mountain. It is used to calculate the amount of water that will run off.

An imaging spectrometer built by another Canadian concern, ITRES of Calgary, Alberta, measures the second property, snow albedo. Snow albedo represents the amount of sunlight reflected and absorbed by snow. Snow albedo controls the speed of snowmelt and timing of its runoff.

By combining these data, scientists can tell how changes in the absorption of sunlight cause snowmelt rates to increase.

The Airborne Snow Observatory flies at an altitude of 17,500 to 22,000 feet (5,334 to 6,705 meters) to produce frequent maps that scientists can use to monitor changes over time. It can calculate snow depth to within about 4 inches (10 centimeters) and snow water equivalent to within five percent. Data are processed on the ground and made available to participating water managers within 24 hours.

Before now, Sierra Nevada snow water equivalent estimates have been extrapolated from monthly manual ground snow surveys conducted from January through April. These survey sites are sparsely located, primarily in lower to middle elevations that melt free of snow each spring, while snow remains at higher elevations. Water managers use these survey data to forecast annual water supplies. The information affects decisions by local water districts, agricultural interests and others. The sparse sampling can lead to large errors. In contrast, the NASA observatory can map all the snow throughout the entire snowmelt season.

“The Airborne Snow Observatory is providing California water managers the first near-real-time, comprehensive determination of basin-wide snow water equivalent,” said Frank Gehrke, mission co-investigator and chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program for the California Department of Water Resources. “Integrated into models, these data will enhance the state’s reservoir operations, permitting more efficient flood control, water supply management and hydroelectric power generation.” Gehrke said the state will continue to conduct manual surveys while it incorporates the Airborne Snow Observatory data. “The snow surveys are relatively inexpensive, help validate observatory data and provide snow density measurements that are key to reducing errors in estimating snow water equivalent,” he said.

Painter plans to expand the airborne mapping program to the entire Upper Colorado River Basin and Sierra Nevada.

“We believe this is the future of water management in the western United States,” he said.

More coverage from The Denver Post.

2013 Colorado legislation: HB13-1316 (Oil Gas Commn Uniform Groundwater Sample Rule) passes state House #COleg

From the Denver Business Journal (Cathy Proctor):

HB 1316, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Dickie Lee Hullinghorst of Gunbarrel and Joe Salazar of Thornton, would require the state to undertake the same stringency of groundwater testing in the oil-rich Wattenberg basin as it does across most of the state…

HB 1316 passed the House on its third and final reading in that chamber Wednesday morning and now goes to the Senate for consideration…

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) in January changed its rules to require companies to conduct one groundwater test per quarter-section, the equivalent to four tests per square mile, in the Wattenberg area. Due to the number of wells drilled and planned in that area, the new standard will result in a database of 11,000 samples, according to the state. HB 1316 proposes to change the new rule and require companies working the Wattenberg to sample up to four groundwater sources within a half mile of the new well…

The Colorado Oil & Gas Association, an industry trade group, opposes the bill because it undermines the influence of the state regulatory agency charged with overseeing the oil and gas industry, spokesman Doug Flanders said. “A statewide ‘one size fits all’ water sampling rule does not fit Colorado, is unnecessary and fails to account for unique characteristics of specific areas of the state,” he said.

More coverage from Steve Lynn writing for the Northern Colorado Business Report. Here’s an excerpt:

House Bill 1316, sponsored by House Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, and Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, would require the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to adopt uniform groundwater sampling rules. It passed by a narrow 34-29 vote. Northern Colorado was partially exempted from the new rules in January, when they were adopted by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Coincindentally, the new rules also took effect Wednesday. The new rules require companies to sample as many as four water wells within one-half mile of a new oil and gas well before drilling. Two more samples of each well must be taken between six and 12 months and again between five and six years…

Neither oil industry representatives or environmental groups embraced the new monitoring rules. Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association, criticized HB-1316, saying that it disregards scientific data presented during the creation of groundwater testing rules and derails efforts to address the needs of local communities.

“There were parts of the COGCC’s water sampling rule we would have preferred to see enacted differently,” Dempsey said in a statement. “But we believe that the role of the executive branch should be respected and that the outcomes of extensive rule making ought to be much more carefully evaluated before being overturned.”

Environmentalists have criticized the exemption in the Northern Colorado oil field, calling it the “Anadarko-Noble loophole” after two major producers in the region, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Noble Energy Inc.

More 2013 Colorado legislation coverage here.