Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly.
Most SNOTEL sites record snowpack close to normal — with the exception of Indy Pass
Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin has gone up since last week, reaching an average of 4.1 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on Dec. 3, or 108% of median, according to NRCS.
SNOTEL sites that monitor snowfall throughout the winter measured the snowpack at Independence Pass at 68.9% of median on Dec. 3 with a “snow water equivalent” (SWE) of 3.1 inches, up from 2.3 inches and 60.5% of normal on Nov. 26. Last year on Dec. 3, the SNOTEL station up the pass (located at elevation 10,600 feet) recorded an SWE of 3.9 inches.
The monitoring station at McClure Pass, located at elevation 8,770 feet, recorded a SWE of 3 inches on Dec. 3 or 88% of median. That’s up from a SWE of 1.9 inches on Nov. 26. Last year, on Dec. 3, the station measured a snowpack holding 4.2 inches of water.
On the northeast side of the Roaring Fork Basin, snowpack at Ivanhoe, which sits at an elevation of 10,400 feet, reached 4.6 inches of SWE on Dec. 3, or 124.3% of median.
Snowpack at North Lost Trail, which sits at an elevation of 9,219 feet, has reached 4.9 inches of SWE on Dec. 3, up from 3.6 inches last week.
Snowpack at Schofield Pass reached 6.6 inches on Dec. 3, which represents 87% of median. That’s up from 5.2 inches on Nov. 26. Schofield Pass sits at an elevation of 10,700 feet between Marble and Crested Butte.
Snow water equivalent — the metric used to track snowpack — is the amount of water contained within the snowpack, which will become our future water supply running in local rivers and streams.
Streamflows are up from last week
Transbasin diversion resumed around Oct. 28 and shut down on Nov. 4 before starting again on Nov. 5.
At Stillwater, located upstream of Aspen, the Roaring Fork River ran at 18.3 cfs on Dec. 3, or 61% of average, which is up from last week when the river ran at 15.4 cfs and 51.3% of average.
Water through the tunnel that sends Roaring Fork flows east of the Continental Divide went from 1.6 cfs on Oct. 22 to 15.2 cfs on Oct. 29 and then to 21.4 cfs on Nov. 5. On Dec. 3, water was flowing at 10.5 cfs.
The USGS sensor below Maroon Creek hasn’t recorded any data since Nov. 26 due to ice.
At Emma, below the confluence with the dam-controlled Fryingpan, the Dec. 3 streamflow of 286 cfs represented about 102.5% of average. That’s up from 252 cfs on Nov. 26 and 87.2% of average.
Meanwhile, the Crystal River above Avalanche Creek, which is not impacted by dams or transbasin diversions, flowed at 55 cfs or 92% of average. Last week, the river ran at 47 cfs, or 72.8% of average.
The Colorado River ran at 1,480 cfs at Glenwood Springs, or 91.9% of average, on Dec. 3 , down from 1,510 cfs last week, while the Colorado flowed at 3,150 cfs near the Colorado-Utah stateline, or 87.3% of average.
Aspen Journalism is compiling real time streamflow data. You can find all the featured stations from the dashboard with their real-time streamflow on this webpage.
Lake Powell’s water levels keep dropping
Lake Powell‘s water levels peaked in early July and are now decreasing. On Dec. 3, the reservoir was 36.91% full (based on updated 2017-18 sedimentation data). That’s down from Nov. 26, when the nation’s second-largest reservoir was at 37.09%.
Last year, on July 1, 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation revised its data on the amount of water stored in Lake Powell, with a new, lower tally taking into account a 4% drop in the reservoir’s total available capacity between 1986 and 2018 due to sedimentation. Aspen Journalism in July published a story explaining the that drop in storage due to sedimentation. We will be now using the 2017-18 sedimentation data only.
On Dec. 3, 2022, the reservoir was 24.47% full.
On Dec. 3, Lake Powell’s elevation reached 3,571.2 feet, or 128.8 feet from full pool, which is down from 3,571.7 feet on Nov. 26. Last year, on Dec. 3 the reservoir reached 3,527.74 feet in elevation, or 172.26 feet from full pool.
The “minimum power pool” for turbines generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam is 3,490 feet, and 3,525 feet has been set as a buffer to ensure that the reservoir and the turbines can continue to function properly.
Freezing air temperatures recorded on Thanksgiving weekend
High air temperatures at the Aspen airport dropped from 38°F on Nov. 20 to 28°F on nov. 26 before going up to 40°F on Nov. 30, which is about six degrees above normal. Meanwhile, low temperatures went from 29°F on Nov. 20 to -2°F on Nov. 26 before reaching 14°F on Nov. 30.
