The Arkansas River is running very low, even for this time of year, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. They write, "The weather in Pueblo was gorgeous Thursday - unless you happen to be a fish or a kayaker. Flows in the Arkansas River through Pueblo were just a trickle - less than half of what they were one week ago...
"Snowpack in the mountains, however, looks better this year than in 2002 in the Arkansas River headwaters. Weather conditions in the next month could either improve the outlook or send the region into another prolonged dry spell. Most of the snowpack is above 10,000 feet and has not started melting, and if dry, windy weather continues, the moisture content of the higher snowpack could evaporate before it enters the river, Flory said. At midweek, flows dropped to about 64 cubic feet per second above Pueblo, with about half of that coming through the state fish hatchery. That's down from more than 200 cfs one week ago. At the Moffat Street gauge, midway through Pueblo, flows dropped to 39 cfs Thursday, down from 149 cfs one week ago. By comparison, Fountain Creek was running at 33 cfs. Contributing to the lack of water in the river is the increase of water on Pueblo lawns. More people have started watering as temperatures climb. The mercury hit a record 90 degrees Thursday. With warmer weather, water demand has shot up to 31 million gallons a day from 23 million gallons a day one week ago, said Alan Ward, water resources specialist with the Pueblo Board of Water Works. Pueblo increased its intake from Lake Pueblo by more than one-third - to 47 cfs from 35 cfs - to keep up with the demand...
"Under the 2004 intergovernmental agreement, the trigger to curtail exchanges at this time of year is 350 cfs. Unless river flows increase significantly over the weekend, there won't even be the opportunity for exchanges, Ward said. Low flows also could complicate plans for the Icebreaker kayak rodeo planned for next weekend, one of four weekends where flows of 600 to 1,000 cfs have been requested by local boaters. The event is expected to attract top kayakers from across the country, local organizers say...
"Flows are currently below the minimum 100 cfs the City of Pueblo has asked the Colorado Water Conservation Board for in order to maintain fish habitat as well. Ward is optimistic the river will improve once the high-country snowpack begins to melt."
Category: Colorado Water
9:36:48 AM 
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