The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Taking its sweet time coming down the mountains”
In May, the Taylor Reservoir water level was so low that the buoy off of Bullpoint lay exposed on the reservoir floor. These days, the water is so high that Dee Dee Marriott of Taylor Park Marina reports the parking lot is under water. Water had been drawn down in anticipation of high spring runoff, and though the reservoir is full, efforts seem to have paid off: water nearly reached the cabins at the confluence of the East and Taylor Rivers, but significant flooding was avoided. And reservoirs have managed to absorb a prolonged runoff that has local rivers flowing more than twice their normal rate.
“Taylor Park reservoir got as close as we’d like to have it to filling. We’ve been having very high releases over the last few days to bring that down because there’s concern of thunderstorms settling in the basin,” said Frank Kugel, general manager of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD).
According to a Tuesday update from the Bureau of Reclamation, the Taylor was being drawn down at a rate of 700 cubic feet per second (cfs) and would likely be reduced to a rate of 600 cfs by Thursday. Inflows into the reservoir had finally begun to drop off and the Bureau anticipated having enough space in the reservoir to accommodate heavy rains. The update went on to say that a July 15 forecast calls for a total inflow volume of 38,000 acre feet in July—or 190 percent of average.
According to Kugel, releases from Taylor Reservoir are typically around 350 cfs this time of year. He also said that Blue Mesa Reservoir is within two inches of spilling—officially considered full by the Bureau of Reclamation. And as of Tuesday, the East River near Almont has been flowing at 400 cfs, more than twice the long-term average, and the Gunnison River is flowing at 2,300 cfs. The Gunnison normally runs below 900 cfs.
“Flows are generally somewhere in the range of two to three times average. It’s a wonderful year for the boating community and not so wonderful for fishermen… but as far as management of reservoirs [and irrigation supplies] we’re in good shape,” Kugel said.
According to Jason White of the Crested Butte Angler, the high water has had a noticeable impact on the summer fishing season.
White has observed that guided fishing has seen an increase as people seek help navigating high water levels, but generally retail is somewhat down because fewer people seem to be fishing on their own.
“It’s harder wading. Wading has been more difficult in bigger rivers but there are plenty of small streams that are fishable. Around here there’s enough variety—it doesn’t affect us as much,” White said. “Rafting was great and fishing was awesome but people were scared of the river. There have been some accidents. But business-wise things are fine, aside from retail.”
“It is one of those years that we will all remember,” said Mark Schumacher, owner of Three Rivers Resort. Schumacher noted that the current rate of release from the dam is the perfect level for rafting, and he has customers rebooking for a second whitewater run on the river.
“The East River has dropped significantly over the last week and float fishing the Gunnison is excellent. Water is off-color and moving fast but the fish are very active,” Schumacher added.
According to Kugel, “We’re enjoying the fruits of a long and bountiful runoff.” A large snowpack combined with a cool spring and cool early summer have allowed for a longer runoff.
The long-term forecast, according to Kugel, calls for warmer than normal temperatures and average precipitation, so he does not expect to see anything unusual in the coming months.
“We just had a tremendous snowpack, and it’s taking its sweet time coming down the mountains,” said Kugel.
