How Dry Was 2002?
The Denver
Data: '02 drought a record
USGS surveyed state's stream flows to confirm
suspicion
Preliminary results of a study by the
U.S. Geological Survey validate what water experts have known for two years:
2002 is firmly entrenched in the record books as the worst drought year in
"It's one thing to suspect you
know what's going on, and it's another to have the data staring back at
you," said Brad Lundahl, a section chief for the Colorado Water
Conservation Board, which funded the two- year study.
"It's one more arrow in the
quiver."
The study - presented Tuesday to the
Colorado Water Availability Task Force - examined stream flows throughout the
state's eight river basins. Dictated by precipitation and snowmelt, stream
flows are regarded as good indicators of drought severity.
Analyzing stream flows recorded as far
back as 1895, USGS scientists looked at data collected by 154 of the 315 gauge
stations in
Gerhard Kuhn, a USGS scientist who
presented the study to the task force, said that of all the dry years on
record, 2002 clearly was the worst in terms of stream-flow lows.
In fact, almost 61.7 percent of the
historical gauge stations were reading all-time low levels. That's compared
with only 18 percent of the gauge stations' reading of all-time lows in 1977,
another dry year.
"1977 was not as severe as 2002,
but there are a number of stations that were fairly low," Kuhn said.
"Still, 2002 shows the most severe drought."
Kuhn explained that more data will be
analyzed before a final report is issued to the task force, possibly next
summer.
The study did not include stream-flow
data for 2003 and 2004, but water experts agree that those years have been much
wetter.
"I'm not saying the drought is
over," Kuhn said.
"Some people think we're still in
it."
Staff writer Kim
McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or at kmcguire@denverpost.com.
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