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Feds are releasing water from Ruedi to prepare for runoff
Snowpack 30 percent above average in upper Fryingpan River basin
ASPEN — Let’s hope the latest move by the managers of Ruedi Reservoir doesn’t jinx our powder bonanza.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cranked up the amount of water it is releasing from Ruedi Reservoir on Monday to prepare for the runoff that is expected to be stronger than usual this spring.
Ruedi Reservoir is essentially like a big tub. Water needs to be let out to offset the water flowing in. The flow from Ruedi dam into the Fryingpan River was increased from 95 to 120 cubic feet per second.
“The reason for the increase is that the basin above Ruedi has seen some great snowfall and currently is 130 percent of normal,” said a notice sent via e-mail by the Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Peter Soeth. “Because of this, Ruedi was going to be higher than expected when we start to fill the reservoir.”
The snowpack levels in the upper Fryingpan River Basin are among the highest in the state. What is unusual this winter is the snowpack remains deep at lower elevations — reflecting the cold temperatures in the Roaring Fork Valley throughout December and January.
The snowpack at Nast Lake, at an elevation of 8,700 feet in the Fryingpan Basin, was 56 percent above average as of Monday afternoon, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal agency that measures the snowpack around the state at automated stations.
The snowpack was 32 percent above average at the Kiln site, at an elevation of 9,600 feet, and it was 42 percent at Ivanhoe, at 10,400 feet.
The Fryingpan River basin readings were slightly higher than snowpack measurements elsewhere in the Roaring Fork River basin. East of Aspen, for example, the snowpack was 30 percent above average Monday at an elevation of 10,600 feet, the NRCS reported.
The Bureau of Reclamation adjusts water levels in the reservoir to make room for spring runoff each year. This year is different because the water releases are being cranked up earlier than usual.
The bureau plans to keep releases at 120 cfs for the foreseeable future, according to Soeth.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cranked up the amount of water it is releasing from Ruedi Reservoir on Monday to prepare for the runoff that is expected to be stronger than usual this spring.
Ruedi Reservoir is essentially like a big tub. Water needs to be let out to offset the water flowing in. The flow from Ruedi dam into the Fryingpan River was increased from 95 to 120 cubic feet per second.
“The reason for the increase is that the basin above Ruedi has seen some great snowfall and currently is 130 percent of normal,” said a notice sent via e-mail by the Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Peter Soeth. “Because of this, Ruedi was going to be higher than expected when we start to fill the reservoir.”
The snowpack levels in the upper Fryingpan River Basin are among the highest in the state. What is unusual this winter is the snowpack remains deep at lower elevations — reflecting the cold temperatures in the Roaring Fork Valley throughout December and January.
The snowpack at Nast Lake, at an elevation of 8,700 feet in the Fryingpan Basin, was 56 percent above average as of Monday afternoon, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal agency that measures the snowpack around the state at automated stations.
The snowpack was 32 percent above average at the Kiln site, at an elevation of 9,600 feet, and it was 42 percent at Ivanhoe, at 10,400 feet.
The Fryingpan River basin readings were slightly higher than snowpack measurements elsewhere in the Roaring Fork River basin. East of Aspen, for example, the snowpack was 30 percent above average Monday at an elevation of 10,600 feet, the NRCS reported.
The Bureau of Reclamation adjusts water levels in the reservoir to make room for spring runoff each year. This year is different because the water releases are being cranked up earlier than usual.
The bureau plans to keep releases at 120 cfs for the foreseeable future, according to Soeth.
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