On the bright side, there will probably be enough water in the high country snowpack to bring Scofield Reservoir above the half full mark after runoff this year. By the same token, pessimists can feel justified in noting that the lake will also be a long way from full.
The latest readings released by the Natural Resources Conservation Service show moisture accumulation in the Scofield drainage is 101 percent of normal so far this year. However, there’s not much carryover left from last year. The reservoir was holding only 10,900 acre-feet of water as of Feb. 1. It can hold 65,800 and the average carryover at this time of year is about 29,000.
Things can change dramatically between now and springtime, but the historical odds are against anything more than the usual 28,000 acre-feet flowing in from Fish Creek above the lake, according to the NRCS statistical report.
The story of snowpack is much the same across the Carbon-Emery watershed, with snow depth, soil moisture and accumulated precipitation tracking normal readings. As of Wednesday, there was 40 inches of snow at the NRCS Clear Creek No. 1 monitoring station, with a snow water equivalent of 11.9 inches. Clear Creek No. 2, at a lower elevation, had 37 inches of snow and equivalent water of 8.7 inches.
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