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• 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%
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.
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.
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.
After a low summer season for Aspen and Snowmass tourism last year due to the pandemic, this summer promises to get back on track and even exceed 2019’s occupancy rates.
With the peak flows coming in low and early, streamflows are now registering as low as 24 percent of average, on the Colorado River at Westwater.
