Gunnison Basin snowpack slightly below average

Matt Hildner

Daily Press Writer

MONTROSE — Snowpack for the Gunnison Basin is slightly below average, although it’s still early in the snow season.

Snowpack measurements taken by the Natural Resources Conservation Service indicate that the storms that blanketed the Front Range and eastern Plains last month didn’t leave as much snow in the Gunnison Basin. The basin is currently at 91 percent of its 30-year average for this time of year.

“Right now it’s awful early to tell what our season is going to be,” said Marc Catlin, manager of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association.

Last year at this time, Catlin noted, snowpack was at 112 percent of average and dwindled to 70 percent by March.

At this time of year, Catlin said he normally checks the snowpack levels on a weekly basis. Those checks increase as the association gets closer to the irrigation season.

The snowpack levels normally hit their peak on April 12, according to the NRCS. Although the snowpack was slightly below average, year-to-date precipitation in the basin is 116 percent of average.

“It’s probably due to the storms we had in October,” said Mike Gillespie, the state’s snow survey supervisor for the NRCS. “We had good moisture and not all of it remained on the ground as snow.”

Catlin added that the lower Uncompahgre Valley has gotten more moisture than normal this year, although there’s no way to store any of that runoff.

It has, however, built up moisture levels in the soil.

“Hopefully that would still be there at the time (farmers) start to plant,” Catlin said.

Catlin anticipated getting a clearer picture of the spring weather forecast later this month when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation hosts its operation meeting for the Aspinall Unit.

Although the snowstorms that blanketed the plains last month didn’t have as much impact on the Western Slope, both the Arkansas and South Platte basins received major bumps.

The South Platte Basin, which includes the Denver metro area, stands at 133 percent of average for snowpack. The Arkansas Basin currently sits at 131 percent of average.

Contact Matt Hildner via e-mail at matth@montrosepress.com