Getting Ready for Spring

Although Colorado's Front Range and foothills did not receive much snow over the winter, the high mountains on the other side of the Continental Divide are showing record snow depths, in some places 130% and more above normal.

When the weather warms up over the next 6 to 8 weeks, this is going to result in record high runoff in the rivers heading eventually to the Gulf of Mexico on the east slope, and the Gulf of Cortez on the west slope.

The Colorado Big Thompson Project was built between 1938 and 1957. Its network of rivers, tunnels, reservoirs and ditches provides supplemental water to 30 cities and towns, and helps irrigate approximately 693,000 acres of northeastern Colorado farmland.

The Colorado-Big Thompson Project is the largest transmountain water diversion project in Colorado.

Built between 1938 and 1957, the C-BT Project provides supplemental water to 30 cities and towns. The water is used to help irrigate approximately 693,000 acres of northeastern Colorado farmland.

Here is a picture of last year's high water in the spring of 2010 about 4 feet deep.

This is the normal level in the fall, the same place in the river, less than 1 foot deep.