Photo Credit: Parker Seibold, The Gazette
Q: Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your role?
A: My name is Brian Domonkos, and I work for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Colorado Snow Survey Program. I’m the lead hydrologist here. My job mainly involves monitoring and providing products and data to our customers.
Q: Can you describe your job a bit more? What does it look like from day to day?
A: Yeah, my job is highly varied, and that’s actually one of the best parts of it. I’m not just speaking for myself, but for our entire team. On a daily basis, we do a mix of fieldwork, computer work, media outreach, and public presentations. Fieldwork is definitely a big part of it, and we work across several states—southern Wyoming, all of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. We monitor snow at a number of locations across these states, and we visit each site once a year to calibrate and maintain equipment. Sometimes this involves riding UTVs, trucks, or even walking to some sites. One site actually requires llamas to pack equipment in. In other areas of the country, they use helicopters or horses to access remote sites.
We also spend a lot of time in the winter visiting sites, sometimes requiring snowmobiles, snowshoes, or skis to get in. Maintenance and calibration are key to ensuring the data is accurate. On the office side, we focus a lot on quality control and assurance for the data we collect. We make sure our data is useful for the public and water users by creating products, maintaining those products, and communicating with users to ensure they know how to access and interpret the data.
Q: What does your communication with data users look like?
A: A lot of the communication is seamless. Water users—like the Corps of Engineers, National Weather Service, or other water users in Colorado and the western U.S.—access our data through our web pages. They pull data regularly, and some have automated systems set up to scrape the data from our site. Outside of that, we also provide presentations and media outreach to help users understand how to access and use the data.
Q: Can you explain what the snow survey sites are and what kind of data you collect?
A: Sure! We have two main data collection methods. The first is the SNOw TELemetry (or SNOTEL) network, which has been around since the late 1970s. Before that, we used a manual network called snow courses, where people would go out with a snow tube to measure the snow and weigh it to determine the water content. SNOTEL sites are our primary data collection method now, though we still use snow courses for some locations.
At SNOTEL sites, we measure snow water equivalent (the amount of water in the snow), precipitation, air temperature, and snow depth. We’re also working on adding more sensors to monitor other elements that are useful for modeling and other purposes.
Q: How many snow survey sites are there in Colorado?
A: In Colorado, we have 117 automated data collection locations, which is comprised of mostly SNOTEL sites. There are an additional 70–80 are snow courses in Colorado. Not all of them are measured every year; some are only measured a limited number of winter months.
Q: During the January CWCB Water Conditions Monitoring Committee meeting, you mentioned that you expect it to be a dry spring based on current trends. Could you explain why?
A: Sure. What I was talking about was looking at our January 1 streamflow forecasts and then comparing those with what was happening in January, which was a drier month than expected. When we looked at the forecast in early January, we noticed below-normal snowpack accumulation and precipitation. Because of that, I expect streamflow forecasts for the February 1st forecasts, to be lower than what we originally projected back in January. So, the drier January really influences the changes from last month to this month.
Q: You also mentioned the differences between snowpack in Colorado versus Arizona. Can you elaborate on that?
A: Absolutely. Arizona and New Mexico are currently experiencing very low snow accumulation. When we have dry spells like this, the data we collect can become harder to interpret accurately. For example, when there’s no snow or very little precipitation, our sensors can get “floppy”—meaning the data becomes less stable. It’s not impossible to interpret, but it makes data quality control more difficult. This variability makes it harder to get a clear sense of what’s going on with snowpack in these areas.
Q: Can you correct for that variability? Or is it something you just have to work with?
A: We do correct for it as much as possible in the data, but it’s definitely harder when there’s low snow. While it’s not impossible to understand what’s going on, it’s just more challenging to interpret the data clearly. We try to account for the variability, but the less snow there is, the harder it is to get accurate readings.
Q: What factors go into streamflow forecasts other than snowpack?
A: Great question. Streamflow forecasts are based on both historical and current snowpack, precipitation, and streamflow values. The model we use now is much more robust than the one we had a few years ago. It includes various model ensembles to provide a range of possible outcomes for streamflow. The historical data is important because it helps us understand past conditions and allows us to compare current observations with those historical trends.
Q: Does soil moisture variability play a role in streamflow forecasts?
A: Because our model is statistically based and includes streamflow observations, it does account for general conditions like drought. However, soil moisture isn’t directly used as an input in our streamflow forecasts at this point. There’s research suggesting that incorporating soil moisture could improve forecasts, but for now, we don’t use it regularly. The challenge is that we don’t have enough robust, long-term soil moisture data at our sites to include it consistently.
Q: Do you have any goals for adding new sites, like in the Arkansas River Basin?
A: There was some talk about adding new sites in the Arkansas River Basin a few years ago, but it’s been a bit quiet on that front recently. Right now, we’re focusing on adding soil moisture sensors at existing sites in other parts of the state, but no new SNOTEL sites are in the works for the Arkansas Basin. We still need to work through the permitting process before we can add any new sites.
Q: How did you end up in this line of work?
A: I applied for a job with the NRCS many years ago, not really knowing what the snow survey program was all about. I’ve always loved snow, and someone suggested I would like this job. I gave it a shot, and here I am, 22 years later. It’s been an amazing career, and I’ve never looked back.
Q: What is one part of your job that you do not enjoy?
A: Sometimes the computer work can be a bit tedious, but honestly, there’s nothing else I would want to do. After 22 years in this field, there’s really no reason to leave. I love the technical aspects of our work, the team I work with, and the fieldwork itself. Getting out in the field, riding snowmobiles, and being in deep snow—it’s hard to beat that.
Q: What’s your favorite site to work at?
A: That’s a tough one to answer! There are a few I love. Tower is probably one of my favorites—sometimes we can get up to 10 feet of snow there. Bear Town is another one—it’s way out of the way but really cool. Schofield Pass is a beautiful spot. There are too many to pick just one. I could go on!
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?
A: Honestly, the fieldwork is probably the most fun part. But also, seeing the impact of the data we collect and how it’s used is incredibly rewarding. Hearing feedback from customers and seeing how the data helps them in their work is always a great feeling.
Q: How do people typically use the data you provide?
A: It’s used in so many ways! Water users, for example, rely on it to plan irrigation schedules, and water supply management. Snowmobile clubs depend on it to determine conditions. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center and CDOT also use our data for avalanche forecasts and road conditions. I’ve even had people call us because they need to know how deep the snow is near their cabin. It’s really rewarding to hear all the ways our data is used to help people.