Last weekend’s strong winter storm combined with a short-lived midweek storm, continued to increase the early season snowpack in the Roaring Fork Watershed. Snow water equivalent, a measure of the water content in the snowpack, is 0.8-1” greater than a week ago at most SNOTEL sites in the watershed. This is the fourth consecutive week that the watershed received precipitation, which is key for building a robust snowpack and keeping the watershed out of short-term drought. Rivers and streams are flowing 65-112% of normal for this time of year. How will the $99 million deal to purchase and permanently protect the water rights at the Shoshone Power Plant in Glenwood Canyon impact the Roaring Fork Watershed? Find out on November 19, when Colorado River District’s staff explain how these large and very senior water rights are foundational to water management across the state. Additional details at www.roaringfork.org/events.

Stream flow, diversion and reservoir data acquired from U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Colorado Division of Water Resources, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Roaring Fork Watershed stream gages: www.roaringfork.org/your-watershed/river-flow/

Colorado drought conditions: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu