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Boulder Creek Watershed Snowpack Conditions

Most of the communities and irrigation districts in Boulder County rely on streamflow from the Saint Vrain, Lefthand or Boulder Creek watersheds for annual water supplies. As a semi-arid region the Front Range generally does not receive adequate precipitation during the peak water demand season to meet all requirements. Front Range communities are significantly dependent on water storage to meet peak summer demands. A crucial component of this storage capacity is provided by the natural snowpack that accumulates in the high county over the course of the winter and spring. The annual accumulation and gradual melting of this snowpack is a major factor in maintaining reservoir levels and stream flows. Generally the first indication of an impending water supply crisis results from monitoring the depth and water content of the snow pack in the upper watersheds.
Silver Lake from 1935 by Donald Campbell Kemp
Photograph copyright by the Denver Public Library.

The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) maintains hundreds of snow pack measurement sites around the western United States including four in western Boulder County. These SNOTEL sites provide real time measurements of snow pack through automated monitoring systems. These automated monitoring stations are supplemented by manual measurements and observations performed by personnel from the USDA and other water resource research and management agencies.

Snow Pack Monitoring Information

University of Colorado Mountain Research Station

Two of Boulder County's SNOTEL sites are located in the vicinity of the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station. Operated by the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) in association with several other university and federal research programs this station is the site of a variety of alpine and high altitude environmental research programs, including water supply and snow hydrology research. The INSTARR facility maintains several data collection sites at and above treeline along Niwot Ridge.

In the late 2002 Mark Losleben of the INSTARR research staff began issuing monthly reports on the condition of the accumulated snowpack at the Niwot Ridge C1 data collection site. The C1 Site lies at 9900 feet above sea level on Niwot Ridge between Navajo Peak and Niwot Mountain. This alpine ridge forms the boundary between the Boulder Creek and St. Vrain River watersheds (between North Boulder Creek and South St. Vrain Creek); and lies just west of the the Lefthand Creek watershed; providing a snapshot of snowpack conditions for most of Boulder County's major watersheds.

These reports are typically comprised of actual hand measurements of the snowpack at C1, the NRCS SNOTEL reports from around the state, and general comments relating to the snowpack conditions (including influencing factors such as weather patterns, comparisons to other times and/or locations, and possibly what to expect in the future).

Niwot Ridge C1 Snow Pack reports

2008/2009
Water Year
2007/2008
Water Year
2006/2007
Water Year
2005/2006
Water Year
2004/2005
Water Year
2003/2004
Water Year
2002/2003
Water Year

      July, 2006 June, 2005 June, 2004 June, 2003
      May, 2006 May, 2005 May, 2004 May, 2003
  April, 2008 April, 2007 April, 2006 April, 2005 April, 2004 April, 2003
March, 2009 March, 2008 March, 2007 March, 2006 March, 2005 March, 2004 March, 2003
February, 2009 February, 2008 February, 2007 February, 2006 February, 2005 February, 2004 February, 2003
January, 2009 January, 2008 January, 2007 January, 2006 January, 2005 January, 2004 January, 2003
December, 2008 December, 2007 December, 2006 December, 2005 December, 2004 December, 2003 December, 2002
  November, 2006 November, 2005 November, 2004    

Boulder County SNOTEL Data Sites

Site locations are mapped in BASIN data center

Niwot Ridge 2003 Water Year Accumulations
2004 Water Year Accumulations
2005 Water Year Accumulations
2006 Water Year Accumulations
2007 Water Year Accumulations
2008 Water Year Accumulations
2009 Water Year Accumulations
Interactive Graphing Tool
University Camp 2003 Water Year Accumulations
2004 Water Year Accumulations
2005 Water Year Accumulations
2006 Water Year Accumulations
2007 Water Year Accumulations
2008 Water Year Accumulations
2009 Water Year Accumulations
Interactive Graphing Tool
Lake Eldora 2003 Water Year Accumulations
2004 Water Year Accumulations
2005 Water Year Accumulations
2006 Water Year Accumulations
2007 Water Year Accumulations
2008 Water Year Accumulations
2009 Water Year Accumulations
Interactive Graphing Tool

The Mountain Research Station also maintains several real-time weather stations along Niwot ridge and TundraCam, an interactive online camera located at the Saddle data collection site above the C1 Site (at 11,600 feet above sea level). TundraCam provides a fascinating view of this tundra landscape as well as a real time picture of weather and snow conditions.

More Information about Niwot Ridge Research programs



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Last Page Update - Wednesday April 01, 2009