{"id":2457101,"date":"2020-04-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=324253"},"modified":"2020-04-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T06:00:00","slug":"streamflow-forecast-down-for-roaring-fork-despite-above-normal-snowpack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/streamflow-forecast-down-for-roaring-fork-despite-above-normal-snowpack\/","title":{"rendered":"Streamflow forecast down for Roaring Fork despite above-normal snowpack"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.7639429312581\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324253-722\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism | he Roaring Fork River (left) empties into the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Streamflows at this location are expected to be 85% of normal for the month of April.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>he Roaring Fork River (left) empties into the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Streamflows at this location are expected to be 85% of normal for the month of April.<\/strong><br \/>Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1024x768.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"he Roaring Fork River (left) empties into the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Streamflows at this location are expected to be 85% of normal for the month of April.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism | The Roaring Fork River (left) joins with the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is slight above normal, but April streamflows are predicted to be just 85% of normal.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>The Roaring Fork River (left) joins with the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is slight above normal, but April streamflows are predicted to be just 85% of normal.<\/strong><br \/>Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1-1024x768.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Roaring Fork River (left) joins with the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is slight above normal, but April streamflows are predicted to be just 85% of normal.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-2-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism | Karl Wetlaufer, a hydrologist with the National Resources Conservation Service, explains how this SNOTEL site on McClure Pass works. Scientists use these remote sensing sites to estimate the snow-water equivalent of the snowpack and predict spring streamflows.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Karl Wetlaufer, a hydrologist with the National Resources Conservation Service, explains how this SNOTEL site on McClure Pass works. Scientists use these remote sensing sites to estimate the snow-water equivalent of the snowpack and predict spring streamflows.<\/strong><br \/>Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-2-768x1024.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/steamflows-atd-041320-1-2-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Karl Wetlaufer, a hydrologist with the National Resources Conservation Service, explains how this SNOTEL site on McClure Pass works. Scientists use these remote sensing sites to estimate the snow-water equivalent of the snowpack and predict spring streamflows.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/streamflow-forecast-down-for-roaring-fork-despite-above-normal-snowpack\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/streamflow-forecast-down-for-roaring-fork-despite-above-normal-snowpack\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Although snowpack in the mountains near Aspen is hovering above normal for this time of year, streamflows in the Roaring Fork River are predicted to be just 85% of normal for April.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The snow-telemetry, or SNOTEL, site at Independence Pass, near the headwaters of the Roaring Fork River, is at 106% of normal snow-water equivalent. The SNOTEL site at Kiln, near the headwaters of the Fryingpan River, is at 106% of normal. And at Scofield Pass, home to the headwaters of the Crystal River, the SNOTEL site shows snowpack at 90% of normal. The Roaring Fork basin as a whole is at 112% of normal snowpack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But the April water-supply outlook released by the National Resources Conservation Service predicts streamflows at just 85% of normal at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers in Glenwood Springs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s kind of an anomalous year,\u201d said Karl Wetlaufer, a hydrologist with NRCS and assistant supervisor with the Colorado Snow Survey. \u201cMore commonly, the streamflow forecasts do pair with the snowpack pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The reason for the discrepancy is dry soils, which soak up spring snowmelt before it gets to streams. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, abnormally dry conditions crept back into Pitkin County in mid-September. By Oct. 22, the western half of the county was in severe drought, while the eastern half was in moderate drought. The western half of Pitkin County is still experiencing either abnormally dry conditions or moderate drought.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAll of late summer was really dry, but before the snow started to accumulate, it was extremely dry,\u201d Wetlaufer said. \u201cThe soil can be like a really dry sponge right now and soak up more runoff than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That lower-than-normal runoff could have impacts on the city of Aspen, which takes its municipal water supply directly from Castle and Maroon creeks. Tyler Christoff, director of Aspen\u2019s utilities department, said city staff is constantly monitoring the variables in the watershed \u2014 U.S. Geological Survey gauges, SNOTEL sites, weather forecasts, Drought Monitor \u2014 but so far, they are treating this as an average year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cBeing close to average, we are going to let it play out and see if there\u2019s any action we need to take,\u201d Christoff said. \u201cI think regardless of the year and the season, it\u2019s important for our community to be conscious of our use of water as a resource; we do not have an unlimited supply.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Colorado River basin typically reaches its peak snowpack for the year in early to mid-April.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">NRCS has two main ways of measuring snowpack, which feed into the water-supply forecasts. The first is through SNOTEL sites, which are an automated system of sensors that collect weather and climate data hourly from 115 areas around Colorado, mostly in remote, mountainous watersheds between 9,000 and 11,000 feet. They measure snow depth, water content of the snow, precipitation and air temperature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The other way is through snow courses, which are manual measurements of snow depth and water content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But due to the COVID-19 crisis, NRCS staff did not conduct end-of-March manual snow surveys. Wetlaufer said the agency wanted to follow social-distancing guidelines and not have employees traveling in the same vehicle to remote mountain communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe need to go out in pairs for backcountry work,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have been talking about options for next month. Some sites that are key, maybe we can still go out and drive two vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But streamflow forecasts for the Colorado River basin barely use any snow-course data, Wetlaufer said, so those forecasts should still be accurate without the manually collected data.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIn the Colorado River basin, there\u2019s really pretty minimal impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">Aspen Journalism is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by its donors and funders. For more, go to aspenjournalism.org.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/streamflow-forecast-down-for-roaring-fork-despite-above-normal-snowpack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>he Roaring Fork River (left) empties into the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Streamflows at this location are expected to be 85% of normal for the month of April.Heather Sackett\/Aspen Journalism The Roaring Fork River (left) joins with the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is slight above [&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":["post-2457101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 04:38:52","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\/2457101","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=2457101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}