Evaporation from seven reservoirs in the Denver water-supply system, central Colorado

Seven reservoirs in central Colorado, operated by the Denver Board of Water Commissioners, were studied during 1967-73 to determine evaporation losses. These reservoirs, Elevenmile Canyon, Dillon, Gross, Antero, Cheesman, Williams Fork, and Ralston, are located on both sides of the Continental Divide. Methods for computing evaporation include energy-budget, mass-transfer, and pan relationships. Three reservoirs, Elevenmile Canyon, Dillon, and Gross, had mass-transfer coefficients calibrated by energy-budget studies. At the remaining reservoirs, an empirical technique was used to estimate the mass-transfer coefficient. The enery-budget-calibrated methods give the most accurate evaporation values; the empirical coefficients give only a best estimate of evaporation. All reservoirs should be calibrated by energy-budget studies. The pan method of computing evaporation is the least reliable method because of problems of advected energy through the sides of the pan, representative pan exposure , and the irregularity of ratios of reservoir to pan evaporation. (Woodard-USGS)