Spring runoff spills through the Morrow Point Dam Monday afternoon. The dam is a 468-foot-tall concrete double-arch dam on the Gunnison River located in the National Park Service-operated Curecanti National Recreation Area. (William Woody, Special to The Colorado Sun)

It’s no secret that Colorado’s wet winter and spring were a big boon for the state’s reservoirs.

That’s especially true when you consider the dry 2017-2018 snow season that preceded it.

At the start of August, Colorado reservoirs were at 80% their capacity, or 117% their average, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. A year ago, that fill ratio was at just 60%.

To get a better sense of just how much conditions have improved year over year, The Colorado Sun compared satellite images provided the European Space Agency of some of the state’s most popular and largest bodies of water.

Check out the sliding maps below to get a sense of just how much difference 12 months can make:


Ridgeway Reservoir

Lake Dillon

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Chatfield Reservoir

Lake Powell

Posts by Colorado Sun staff writers and editors. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com Twitter: @ColoradoSun