{"id":2448458,"date":"2019-09-08T21:28:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T03:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-joins-water-managers-using-new-technologies-to-map-mountain-snowpack-predict-streamflows\/"},"modified":"2019-09-08T21:28:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-09T03:28:00","slug":"aspen-joins-water-managers-using-new-technologies-to-map-mountain-snowpack-predict-streamflows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-joins-water-managers-using-new-technologies-to-map-mountain-snowpack-predict-streamflows\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen joins water managers using new technologies to map mountain snowpack, predict streamflows"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8390804597701\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-312562-118\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeffrey Deems\/ASO, National Snow and Ice Data Center | This map shows the snowpack depth of the Maroon Bells. The map was created with information from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>This map shows the snowpack depth of the Maroon Bells. The map was created with information from NASA&#8217;s Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.<\/strong><br \/>Jeffrey Deems\/ASO, National Snow and Ice Data Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3.jpg\" alt=\"This map shows the snowpack depth of the Maroon Bells. The map was created with information from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeffrey Deems \/ ASO, National Snow and Ice Data Center | This map shows the snowpack depth of Castle and Maroon valleys. The map was created with information from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>This map shows the snowpack depth of Castle and Maroon valleys. The map was created with information from NASA&#8217;s Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.<\/strong><br \/>Jeffrey Deems \/ ASO, National Snow and Ice Data Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-1.jpg\" alt=\"This map shows the snowpack depth of Castle and Maroon valleys. The map was created with information from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Quantum Spatial \/ Courtesy photo | A flight from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory gathers data about the snowpack above the reservoir on a June 24 flight. Information gathered from the flight helped Denver Water manage reservoir operations.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>A flight from NASA&#8217;s Airborne Snow Observatory gathers data about the snowpack above the reservoir on a June 24 flight. Information gathered from the flight helped Denver Water manage reservoir operations.<\/strong><br \/>Quantum Spatial \/ Courtesy photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-2.jpg\" alt=\"A flight from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory gathers data about the snowpack above the reservoir on a June 24 flight. Information gathered from the flight helped Denver Water manage reservoir operations.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Airborne Snow Observatory\/ Courtesy image | This computer rendering of the flight data gathered June 24, shows the snowpack above Dillon Reservoir in the Blue River Basin. Denver Water used the information gathered from the flight to determine 114,000 acre-feet of water was left in the snowpack and adjust reservoir operations accordingly.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>This computer rendering of the flight data gathered June 24, shows the snowpack above Dillon Reservoir in the Blue River Basin. Denver Water used the information gathered from the flight to determine 114,000 acre-feet of water was left in the snowpack and adjust reservoir operations accordingly.<\/strong><br \/>Airborne Snow Observatory\/ Courtesy image<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/lidar-atd-090919-3-3.jpg\" alt=\"This computer rendering of the flight data gathered June 24, shows the snowpack above Dillon Reservoir in the Blue River Basin. Denver Water used the information gathered from the flight to determine 114,000 acre-feet of water was left in the snowpack and adjust reservoir operations accordingly.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-joins-water-managers-using-new-technologies-to-map-mountain-snowpack-predict-streamflows\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-joins-water-managers-using-new-technologies-to-map-mountain-snowpack-predict-streamflows\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">STEAMBOAT \u2014 As a changing climate renders streamflow predictions less accurate, water managers are turning to new technologies for a clearer picture of what\u2019s happening in their basin\u2019s snowpack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The city of Aspen last spring became the latest water provider in western Colorado to use remote-sensing lasers from airplanes to map the snowpack in the surrounding watershed. On April 7 and June 10, planes equipped with LiDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, flew over the mountains surrounding Castle and Maroon creeks, measuring the depth of the snow and how much water it contained.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The snow from Castle and Maroon valleys eventually becomes Aspen\u2019s municipal water supply as it trickles downstream. Knowing how much snow is left and where that snow is located can help Aspen\u2019s water managers better plan for spring runoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe information (that the flights) were able to share with us shows us so much information about where the snow collects and some of the runoff patterns,\u201d said Margaret Medellin, the manager of Aspen\u2019s Utilities Portfolio. \u201cIt\u2019s a more sophisticated way of looking at the water content in our snow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The flights were conducted by NASA\u2019s Airborne Snow Observatory, or ASO, an initiative co-founded by Jeffrey Deems, a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado where the data will be archived and distributed. Last month in Steamboat Springs, Deems gave a presentation on mapping mountain snowpack at Colorado Water Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt removes a good portion of the uncertainty,\u201d Deems said in a separate interview. \u201cThe better we can manage the system, the more everybody benefits and is less in conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Streamflow forecasts \u2014 used by irrigators, water managers, federal and state agencies, and other entities \u2014 are based primarily on data collected from snow-telemetry, or SNOTEL, sites. These automated, remote sensors collect weather and snowpack information in Colorado\u2019s mountainous watersheds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But SNOTEL sites provide just a snapshot, often not telling the whole story, which leads to inaccurate streamflow forecasts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When conditions at SNOTEL sites start to creep outside of \u201cnormal\u201d historic data due to climate-warming effects \u2014 early-spring melting, dust on snow, warm winter temperatures, fires and beetle-kill \u2014 the forecasting models can begin to lose accuracy. By mapping an entire watershed, ASO flights paint a more complete picture of the state of the snow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAs the past becomes less of a good guide to the future, we really need to know in greater precision and accuracy what the current state of the snowpack is,\u201d Deems said. \u201cThe folks who are making the decisions on how to manage our water infrastructure \u2014 whether that\u2019s a ditch, a dam or a headgate \u2014 they need the best forecast possible so they can make the correct decision at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The LiDAR mapping also has the potential to help water managers better understand extreme weather events such as the historic avalanche activity this past March. One of Deem\u2019s LiDAR mapping photos showed mountain tops that were scoured and devoid of snow, and valleys and avalanche paths that contained deep piles \u2014 the result of huge avalanches. An unanswered question is whether this snow melted out sooner (because it slid to a lower elevation) or later (because avalanche debris is denser and more compact).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt may actually have delayed melt into the runoff season,\u201d Deems said. \u201cIt\u2019s not something we can say definitively what the effect is, but for the first time, the data set may actually allow us to test that and get a better handle on how hydrology and avalanches interact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Denver Water, which provides water to 1.4 million people on the Front Range, last spring used ASO flights to see how much snow remained in the mountains surrounding Dillion Reservoir, its largest storage pool. Data from a June 24 flight showed that although the SNOTEL sites at about 11,000 feet were melted out, there was still 114,000 acre-feet of water in the snowpack above. Denver Water increased its outflows from Dillon Reservoir to make room for the coming snowmelt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat ended up being about half our seasonal runoff,\u201d said Nathan Elder, Denver Water\u2019s manager of water supply. \u201c(ASO) is the next thing in snow measurement. We haven\u2019t had an advancement like this since the late \u201970s, when they started putting in SNOTEL sites.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While innovative and useful, the technology is expensive. Over the past three years, the Colorado Water Conservation Board has spent $1.9 million on the Watershed Forecasting Partnership Program, with nearly $519,000 spent on ASO flights, according to Chris Arend, communications director for the Department of Natural Resources. The Castle and Maroon creek watersheds were mapped as an offshoot of a multiyear program in the Upper Gunnison River Basin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A good approach, Deems said, would be for multiple local agencies to pitch in and share the cost, since each flight on the specially equipped plane can cost tens of thousands of dollars. For a small municipality such as Aspen, it\u2019s just not worth it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to fund or justify funding big efforts like that,\u201d Medellin said. \u201cWe are really excited about the data, but we have to think: Is this something we can really afford in this community? Right now, it seems like the benefit wouldn\u2019t justify the costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">Editor\u2019s note: Aspen Journalism collaborates with The Aspen Times on coverage of water and rivers. For more, go to aspenjournalism.com.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/aspen-joins-water-managers-using-new-technologies-to-map-mountain-snowpack-predict-streamflows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This map shows the snowpack depth of the Maroon Bells. The map was created with information from NASA&#8217;s Airborne Snow Observatory, which will help water managers make more accurate streamflow predictions.Jeffrey Deems\/ASO, National Snow and Ice Data Center This map shows the snowpack depth of Castle and Maroon valleys. The map was created with information [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2448458","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 10:13:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}