Snowpack Levels Reducing Drought Conditions Across Much of Colorado
Recent heavy snowfall in Colorado has improved snowpack levels and drought conditions in most of the state.
Recent heavy snowfall in Colorado has improved snowpack levels and drought conditions in most of the state.
As much as 23 percent of the water flowing through the Arkansas River in Colorado comes from the Colorado River Basin, making the Colorado River crisis a concern for local residents.
Multiple snowstorms over the last couple of months have erased all drought across the mountains with dramatic improvement across the plains.
Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District officials discussed several projects during their monthly board meeting Thursday.
The Arkansas River Watershed Coalition’s latest River Reports shows December brought above-average snowpack to most of Colorado, but Arkansas River Basin snowpack remains low at 81% of median, up from 76% a month ago.
BlueTriton Brands and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have finalized the conservation easement for 118.85 acres of BlueTriton property just north of Browns Canyon National Monument near Nathrop.
As part of a new water conservation program, the Upper Colorado River Commission “is seeking proposals immediately for the voluntary, compensated, and temporary water conservation projects for 2023.”
According to the November River Report from the Upper Arkansas Watershed Collaborative, most of the Upper Arkansas Basin remains drought-free, but severe and extreme drought have returned to parts of the lower basin.
Chaffee County Commissioners received a brief update on the BlueTriton Brands conservation easement at their Tuesday, Nov. 15, board meeting in Buena Vista.
Larry Lawrence provided an update on the status of the BlueTriton Brands conservation easement at Tuesday’s Chaffee County Commissioners meeting, stating, “We will meet our Dec. 31 deadline.”
The Colorado Water Conservation Board awarded a $500,000 grant to the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District and Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District for construction of a new reservoir near Westcliffe.
The Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative notes that precipitation from the current weather pattern continues to ease drought conditions in Colorado.