Spring runoff began in earnest this week as warm temperatures thawed area snowpack, causing creeks and rivers to swell.
A water gauge on the Animas River near the Powerhouse Science Center saw levels rise from 300 cubic feet per second Monday to more than 700 cfs as of Friday afternoon.
Water levels came close, but not close enough, to a previous high for March 29 set in 1916 of 1,100 cfs. The water gauge near the Powerhouse has 108 years of records.
Throughout the past week, daytime highs have lingered in the mid-60s, prompting the first round of snowmelt and runoff.
Patrick Kormos, a hydrologist for the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center, said temperatures are expected to cool over the weekend, bringing water levels down in the Animas River.
But early next week, Kormos said temperatures will rise once again, and the river along with it. By late next week, the center calls for the Animas River to exceed 1,000 cfs, though Kormos noted forecasts that far out are difficult to predict.
According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Animas, Dolores, San Juan and San Miguel river basins are at 161 percent of historic, normal averages as of Wednesday, the latest available data. Those snow totals, however, are taken from weather stations placed in high elevations.
The rise in water and promise of a sustained spring runoff is a welcome sight to members of the boating community, especially after one of the lowest water years on record in 2018.
David Moler, owner of Durango Rivertrippers & Adventure Tours, said rafting trips down the Animas are likely to start as early as next week. Business doesn’t seriously pick up, however, until the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad starts service to Silverton in May, he said.
Rafting companies have adapted to survive both low- and high-water years, Moler said. Sometimes, the most difficult aspect of the business is battling the perception there’s no water.
“I love the fact the perception of low water is lifted,” he said.
Moler said most of the snowpack melts off by the first week of July. Then, boaters depend on the monsoon season to keep rivers runnable. Moler hopes that this year, the season could extend well into September.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
