The technology used to get an accurate idea of how much snow sits in the Gunnison Valley’s major drainages is expensive. But it’s data that has become increasingly valuable as drought becomes more widespread, and small water districts are asking for help to cover the cost.
Water managers in the Upper Gunnison Basin need to know how much snow is in the high country to predict how much water will flow into the system in the spring when the snow melts. It’s the same water that will refill reservoirs, fuel river recreation and irrigate farm and ranchland.
Rather than relying on SNOTEL stations, which only measure the snow depth at a single point on the landscape, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District has begun to incorporate data from Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) flights. These flights use a laser-imaging system called LiDAR that can map the depth of the snow every few meters by measuring the relief of the landscape with snow both on and off the ground.
Although the Upper Gunnison has proven the value of ASO flights, the agency — as well as many other water districts in Colorado — cannot pay for the costly technology alone. This year, the district created an Upper Gunnison Basin ASO funding partnership, a growing collective of local agencies that will divide the cost of running flights.
“For the Western Slope, it's incredibly important to be able to predict annual hydrology so that we can live within our means on the river,” said District General Manager Sonja Chavez.
The annual cost of conducting snow surveys for the East and the Taylor River watersheds exceeds $300,000. These basins, which encompass roughly 570 square miles, are prioritized because they typically hold the most snow and generate the largest amount of water in the spring.
In 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that controls water releases from federally owned reservoirs such as Blue Mesa, launched its first snow water measurement grant program. Last year, the water district applied for $1 million to pay for two flights per year through 2026 with the goal of improving the accuracy of local forecasts.
While the water district did not receive the grant, Chavez still wanted to find a way to fund ASO flights long-term and asked other organizations to pitch in to cover flights for 2024. After a $50,000 investment from the water district, the Gunnison County Electric Association, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Upper Colorado River Commission and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) helped cover the rest. Chavez said she plans to expand the partnership next winter.
“The more people we can get involved in the program, the less each person has to pay,” she said. “And everybody benefits from the data.”
The conservation board was the largest contributor to the ASO funding partnership, at $166,000. Looking outside of the Gunnison Basin, the board gave almost $1 million to the Colorado Airborne Snow Monitoring program (CASM) in 2024. Since it was founded four years ago, CASM has worked with agencies across the state to create a plan to consistently fund ASO flights.
As the Colorado-based program grows, water managers expect the number of flights and the amount of money available to advance snowpack monitoring to rise. A “fully developed” program would fund 6-8 surveys per year across all of Colorado’s snow covered areas. According to CASM, as many as 215 flights per year would be needed to provide detailed measurements at the headwaters of all of Colorado’s river basins through the spring melt season.
CWCB special projects coordinator Erik Skeie said the board is trying to figure out a way to secure more consistent funding for ASO flights. While the pool of money is slowly expanding, water districts will likely still rely on a mixture of federal, state and local dollars to pay for flights.
“We need to find better ways to use every single drop … The value of [ASO flights] is growing since it’s currently the best way to get a clear picture of your snowpack,” Skeie said.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
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