Warm, Dry Conditions Persist in the Region

Continued warm and dry weather this winter has Northern Water turning its attention to the core purpose of the Colorado-Big Thompson and Windy Gap projects: providing drought resiliency. 

As of Feb. 16, monitoring sites used by Northern Water indicate the snowpack across the Upper Colorado River basin at 56 percent of median for this time of year, with the South Platte monitoring sites at 58 percent of median. Both levels represent record lows for this time of year, meaning a return to average would require record-breaking storms throughout the next few weeks. 

Despite the poor snowpack, water stored in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project reservoirs remains above the long-term average for the project’s 68 years of operations. This means the project will continue to deliver water to supplement the native supplies of the region’s cities, industries and farms. 

On April 9, the Northern Water Board of Directors will set the supplemental quota for the project, giving water users a key piece of information they will need to plan their use for the demand season. Those interested in offering input to the Board about the quota will have an opportunity to do so at the Spring Water Symposium, set for April 7 at the Embassy Suites in Loveland.