Only a sliver of exceptional drought is left across southern and southwestern Colorado.
This is a big improvement over last week when a much bigger portion of the state was covered by that kind of drought conditions.
Snowpack statewide also continues to sit well above average.
However, according to Denver Water, drought experts look at a lot more than snowpack and drought when figuring out how much water will be available for the Front Range come watering season in May.
Some of those variables include the previous year’s conditions, population shifts, warming temperatures and Denver Water’s operational constraints and legal obligations.
Once melting begins, runoff also plays an important role.
Runoff is the water that goes into Denver’s water collection system. Not all water from snowpack will make it into runoff.
Our soil calls first dibs on that water. If the soil is extremely dry then it will soak up a lot of the water from the snowpack.
Last year, for example, the South Platte River basin peaked at 92 percent of normal, but the snowpack runoff was only 63 percent of normal.
Last year’s dry conditions meant dry soil and therefore less water, or runoff, into our streams and reservoirs. Experts say they won’t know what runoff will look like this year until April.
Denver Water is also keeping a close eye on reservoir levels.
Currently, those reservoirs are 76 percent full. They’d like them to be closer to 81 percent.
In order for reservoirs to keep filling up, this year’s snow season needs to continue to be above average. Unfortunately, just one dry week during storm season can have a big impact on snowpack.
Last year’s reservoir levels looked much better thanks to previous good winter seasons. That’s why the Front Range did not see water restrictions last summer.
However, Denver Water says that even with a good snowpack and improving drought conditions the dry weather from 2018 could still have an impact on watering season starting May 1st.
They are waiting to see what runoff looks before making any decisions on water restrictions.
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