Colorado Water Trust and Roaring Fork Conservancy have teamed up with the Colorado River Water Conservation District (Colorado River District) and the Colorado Water Conservation Board to purchase and release water from Ruedi Reservoir to mitigate the impacts of anchor ice on the Fryingpan River. On Friday, December 16, the first release of water from Ruedi Reservoir will begin. The project aims to release 1.26 billion gallons of water (or 3,866 acre-feet) between December 16, 2022, and March 1, 2023, to the Fryingpan River, maintaining flows around 65 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) in order to diminish ice buildup.

February 2, 2023 - 

Summary: 

Snowpack in the Roaring Fork Watershed is currently 133% of normal for this time of year. Consistent snowfall has built a solid snowpack so far this winter. In fact, Natural Resources Conservation Service data shows that December and January were the snowiest in three years, and above average as well. Meanwhile, persistent frigid overnight temperatures are creating beautiful anchor ice and surface ice in local rivers. Flowing water is ‘locked up’ as ice and stream flows drop as a result. Over the next few days, as overnight temperatures drop well below freezing, get up early and take a walk along the Roaring Fork River to look for anchor ice at the bottom of the river. But get up early because the sun’s radiation – as much as 1/100th of a degree – can detach anchor ice and give the river a slushy appearance as it moves downstream.

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In the American West, the overwhelming majority of water consumption occurs through outdoor irrigation and evaporation. This water often does not return to the system directly, if at all. More than 60% of municipal water use is outdoor watering; most of it going to green grass lawns. To demonstrate conservation-based solutions for a lawn, Roaring Fork Conservancy partnered with Basalt Public Library to plant drought resistant turf called tall fescue...