(Above) In March 2011, over four feet of snow piled atop the Mormon Diversion structure up above the Fryingpan River Valley on the Fry-Ark Project.

(Above) On the same date in March 2012, only a couple feet of snow have accumulated at the Mormon Diversion. That snow has already begun melting.

Area Manager:
Mike Collins

In Colorado, all Reclamation projects and operations under the Great Plains Region are managed out of the Eastern Colorado Area Office in Loveland, Colo. The following topics summarize recent work at the "ECAO." Blue highlighted, underlined phrases are quick links to additional information.

Water Update

Some reservoirs owned and operated by Reclamation on both the Colorado-Big Thompson and Fryingpan-Arkansas projects have started seeing local run-off already, even though we are still in early spring.

Recent heat and one of the driest months of March on record have depleted snowpack across the Rocky Mountains. As a result, inflow to reservoirs like Green Mountain, Granby and Ruedi has already started.

In fact, we declared a "start of fill" at Green Mountain Reservoir on April 1. Releases from Green Mountain Dam, which holds back the Blue River in Summit County near Heeney, have been cut back to about 72 cfs. While the original reason to reduce releases had to do with annual maintenance at the power plant and dam, the 72 cfs rate will likely now remain in place through May. We are looking to conserve water in the reservoir as snowpack in the Blue River Basin remains well below average.

Releases from Ruedi Reservoir have also cut back. Currently, about 40 cfs is being released to the Fryingpan River.

On the Fry-Ark Project, storage for this time of year is about average. Snowpack for for the Arkansas River basin is currently around 59%. Similarly, storage on the C-BT is also average for this time of year while snowpack in contributing river basins is averaging around 60%.

Environmental Processes

For most of the 2012 calendar year, Reclamation staff and contractors will be out in the field surveying the five possible pipeline routes for the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit. To learn more, visit our AVCEIS webpage.

We have also recently completed a Finding of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessment on proposed contracts for the Colorado water users' commitment to provide 10,825 acre-feet of water to habitat in the Colorado River identified as critical to endangered fish. Learn more about this process from our NEPA webpage.

Stream Data and Helpful Links

• USGS WaterWatch: real time stream flow data around Colorado
• Colorado Division of Water Resources: Colorado's Surface Water Conditions
• Mountain Buzz: A quick link to Colorado stream flows courtesy of American Whitewater
• Forest Service sites near Reclamation facilities: Many Reclamation reservoir recreation areas are managed by the Forest Service.

Information on our other reservoirs can be found on their webpages. Please visit the Pueblo page for information on Pueblo Dam and Reservoir, Twin Lakes, and Turquoise reservoirs. Visit the Ruedi page to learn about recent changes at Ruedi Reservoir and Dam, and check out the Carter and Horsetooth page to learn more about those reservoirs and the east slope of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

To receive e-mail notifications for any of these reservoirs and the projects to which they are related, please contact Kara Lamb.

• CAST for Kids Foundation
• Contact ECAO's Public Involvement Specialist
• More Public Involvement Links...

• Hunting & Fishing Regulations (Colorado Division of Wildlife)
• Hunting & Fishing Regulations by State
• Boat Launching Facilities
• Recreation Sites in Colorado
• Concessions Management Information