Despite the persistent sun and higher-than-they-should-be temperatures, it is officially winter in the High Country, which means it’s hard to go anywhere without participating in or overhearing a conversation about snow. Top points include how much we have so far, if it’s making good skiing or when the next storm is forecasted. Snow, though, is more than just a winter topic — it’s an indicator of how much water there will be in the state come spring and summer. This means that information about the snowpack is critical, and there are a couple of key entities working hard to obtain it. 

Last summer, Blue River Watershed Group and the Colorado Snow Survey Program hosted a tour to Summit County’s SNOTEL site up on Hoosier Pass. SNOTEL is short for Snow Telemetry. These sites are remote, automated weather stations high in the mountains between 9,000 and 11,000 feet that measure snowpack, precipitation, temperature and soil conditions. There are around 115 sites across the state, and most are armed with snow-depth sensors, soil-moisture sensors, precipitation gauges and a snow pillow that measures the snow-water equivalent of the snowpack. The snow-water equivalent is the amount of liquid water contained in the snowpack. It holds crucial information for water and resource management and is precisely why snow talk is equivalent to water talk. 

In Colorado, water is everything. It supports nearly every aspect of life: economy, ecology, and community. As a headwaters state, most of Colorado’s rivers begin here, but very few flow in. Roughly 80% of Colorado’s water falls on the Western Slope, mostly in the form of snow, yet about 90% of the population lives east of the Continental Divide. This mismatch means water must be carefully managed, stored and transported to meet demand. In many ways, Colorado’s future depends not just on how much snow we get each winter, but on how wisely we steward the water that snow eventually becomes. 

Local snowfall is a major driver of water resources in Summit County. However, it is not the only factor. Summit County is an interesting case because there are significant impacts on water quantity and quality, specifically in our basin. These impacts include, but aren’t limited to, five trans-basin diversions (systems that bring water from our watershed through the mountains to a different watershed), four major passes, Interstate 70, hazmat traffic, four ski areas, two major reservoirs, agriculture, increased development, fire risks and historical and current mining.

Each of these influences the timing, distribution and cleanliness of water flowing through the county. Mining, for instance, has left a legacy of heavy metals, which can affect aquatic life and require ongoing treatment or monitoring. On the quantity side, transbasin diversions and storage reservoirs can alter the natural flow of rivers, affecting both the ecosystems that depend on consistent streamflow and local users downstream. 

Because this resource is so critical for Colorado and our downstream neighbors, the Colorado Airborne Snow Measurement Program is working to develop stronger and more accurate methods of determining the snowpack’s snow water equivalent to better aid decision makers, reservoir managers, municipal water providers, and farmers. This new program brings together Colorado Airborne Snow Measurement Program and Airborne Snow Observatories Inc. to conduct regular flights using airborne lidar and imaging spectrometer sensors to measure snow depth and albedo (the snow’s reflectivity) and determine the snow water equivalent across large river basins. This will provide more robust and accurate snowpack data for our state.

This snow, which we rely on so heavily, has been off to a slow start this season across the Colorado Headwaters. Even with a few storms, the snow water equivalent remains under 60% of the median (also known as the percent of normal), which is calculated from the Period of Record, a 30-year timeframe used by scientists in climate studies.

Interested in learning more about snowpack, snow water equivalent, and statewide measurement systems? Blue River Watershed Group and Colorado Snow Survey/NRCS (National Resource Conservation Service) are hosting a SNOTEL Tour on February 5 at Hoosier Pass. Visit BlueRiverWatershed.org/calendar-of-events.html to learn more and register.

Reyna Schedler grew up on the banks of the Yakima River in Washington State, learning from an early age how we are shaped by, and in turn shape, the fates of rivers. She has worked on river research and restoration projects from Washington state to Costa Rica. She is thrilled to help Blue River Watershed Group conserve and protect the Blue River Watershed through community engagement and participation. If you have questions about Blue River Watershed Group’s events or programs, contact Reyna at events@blueriverwatershed.org.