BERTHOUD – Northern Water’s Board of Directors increased the Colorado-Big Thompson Project quota allocation to 70 percent at its April 14 meeting. With snowpacks that feed the C-BT Project system being above average and storage reservoirs in good shape, the Board chose to make available an additional 20 percent as a supplemental quota for 2015.
The approval increased available C-BT Project water supplies by 20 percent, or 62,000 acre-feet, from the initial 50 percent quota made available in November.
The Board considered input from farmers and municipal water providers, demonstrating the varying demands and complex circumstances directors must consider when setting the quota. The C-BT Project supplements other sources of water for 33 cities and towns, 120 agricultural irrigation companies, various industries and other water users within Northern Water’s 1.6 million-acre service area.
Directors carefully considered streamflow forecasts and snowpack in the South Platte and Upper Colorado watersheds that contribute to C-BT Project inflow. The snowpack in these watersheds has increased during the past month and March precipitation throughout Northern Water’s boundaries was 132 percent of average.
"The Board set an average quota of 70 percent based on this being as close to an average year as you can get," said Andy Pineda, Water Resources Department Manager. "Snowpacks in the Upper Colorado and South Platte basins are in better shape today than a year ago."
Directors based their decision on the need for supplemental water for the coming year while balancing project operations and maintaining water in storage for future dry years.
To learn more about Northern Water and the C-BT Project quota, visit www.northernwater.org.
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