The seven-day positivity rate in Eagle County reached 5.8% on Thursday, and Garfield County’s rate reached 6.8% on July 22. Two weeks ago, Eagle County’s positivity rate was only 2.9% and Garfield County was at 4.5%.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Lake Powell hits record low
• Lake Powell storage falls to a record low of 32.45% of capacity.
• Lake Powell’s surface elevation drops to 3,554.24 feet, also a record low.
• Roaring Fork River flowing at 32.4 cfs at Aspen, or 32.7% of average.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Summer occupancy poised to break records
• July occupancy of 77% is up 12 points on 2019.
• Roaring Fork flows of 46 cfs at Aspen are 33.1% of average.
• Lake Powell storage falls to 32.8%
Posted inWater
Demand management discussions continue amid worsening Colorado River crisis
Some have expressed frustration with what they say is the state’s slow pace of a program rollout and want to begin pilot projects to test the program’s feasibility.
Posted inWater
State engineers developing measurement rules for water diversions
Division 6, in sparsely populated northwest Colorado, has traditionally enjoyed abundant water and few demands, but as climate change tightens its grip on the West, there is less water to go around.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Traffic in town is back to 2019 levels
When the ski lifts shut down in mid-March 2020, the city of Aspen recorded a significant drop in traffic at the entrance to Aspen. But this year, the daily average for the months of March through June is getting back to 2019 levels, up to 23,510 cars per day on average for June 2021.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Air temperatures rise, while steams flow at one third of average
The Colorado River below Glenwood Springs ran at 2,270 cfs on July 7, which is 34.76% of average for the day. On the same day, the Roaring Fork just upstream of Aspen was flowing at 89.7 cfs, which is 38.7% of average.
Posted inWater
Kremmling bird count studies how birds use irrigated agriculture
As the state of Colorado grapples with whether to implement a demand-management program, which would pay irrigators to temporarily dry up fields in an effort to send more water downstream, there could be unintended consequences for the animals that use irrigated agriculture for their habitat.
Posted inEnvironment
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness overnight overuse continues to increase
Total overnight visitors accessing the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness via the 10 most popular trailheads reached a new record in 2020, with 18,324 entering the backcountry to camp, according to data collected by the Forest Service.
Posted inLocal Public Data
Data dashboard: Wastewater flow rates track 2020’s unusual trends
While 2020 overall posted the lowest flow levels at the Aspen wastewater treatment plant in 10 years, the fall months had the highest readings for any September-November stretch in that time.