Dillon Reservoir at 100% capacity gjsentinel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gjsentinel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
, which manages the reservoir.
Nathan Elder, manager of water supply for Denver Water, said it’s normal for the reservoir to be full this time of year, but he noted that the reason it’s full despite an ongoing drought is because the water is carefully managed, and much less water was released from the reservoir to the Blue River than in an average year.
“This year, it’s been dryer than normal, so it did fill a little bit slower, and we released much less out of the reservoir to the Blue River than we typically would to ensure that Dillon would fill this year,” Elder said.
Then all hell broke loose.
What looked like a promising water year quickly dried up.
An extremely warm, dry April, May and June combined with the fourth consecutive year of Colorado missing out on July monsoon moisture set the stage for the largest wildfire season in state history.
This year s statewide snowpack was just 77% of average as of Monday.
While the South Platte Basin, which includes Fort Collins and Denver, was at 96% of average Monday, the drought-stricken Western Slope remains exceptionally dry with none of the basins reaching 80% of average.
And that has caused great concern.
Much of the state is still facing some degree of drought from last year, with the Western Slope in extreme drought. Without the March 12-14 storm that dumped 2 to 4 feet of wet snow in the foothills and mountains east of the Continental Divide and soaked the Eastern Plains with inches of rain, the drought and wildfire situation would be dire.
Colorado’s rivers and streams are rising after a year of pandemic quarantine and social distancing, and the anticipation of rafters and kayakers is rising as well. But water resource experts
Central board votes to proceed with consolidation study
by: The North Platte Bulletin - Apr. 5, 2021
State News
The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District’s board of directors voted Monday to proceed to Phase 2 of a study of potential consolidation with the Dawson Public Power District.
In December, the boards of both organizations agreed to share the costs of a consultant to conduct a phased study and determine whether a consolidation would be an economic and strategic fit that benefits both entities, customers and stakeholders.
Phase 1 of the study, conducted by Power Systems Engineering of Madison, Wisc., yielded favorable data that indicates a good strategic fit and positive financial advantages resulting from a consolidation, Central spokesman Jeff Buettner said.