Upper Colorado River Basin Flows Projected Best In A Decade

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Ever notice how lately nearly all water news feels bad? Flood or drought is what the news generally focuses on. At last some good news for the people who depend on the water of the Colorado River.

A snowy January on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains has water managers crossing their fingers for something they haven't seen for a while: a truly wet year on the Colorado River. The latest forecast calls for the river to receive 120 percent of its normal inflow from melting mountain snow. If that prediction comes to pass, 2008 would go down as the best year on the Colorado in more than a decade.
'Snow levels were above average by as much as 56 percent in parts of central and western Colorado and, in the high country of Colorado, Utah and Arizona, the snowpack is almost double what it normally is this time of year...'

It's a start at refilling, first, Lake Powell, and then downstream Lake Mead. Wish them well.

Via::Review-Journal, "Snow news good news for Colorado River area, Forecast calls for 120 percent of normal inflow" Image credit:NWS,National Snow Analysis, Snow Water Equivalent Remote Sensing Map - Feb 11, 2008 projection (can be animated).