Two months ago, the Board set a 70 percent quota, or 217,000 acre feet, for the 2000 water year. The decision Friday supplies 93,000 additional acre feet for agricultural, municipal and industrial users in the District's seven-county area.

The quota is set in April to help farmers, ditch and irrigation companies, municipal water systems, and rural domestic suppliers plan. The Board considers snowpack, forecast runoff and estimated direct diversions. The 12 directors balance the supplemental needs of the region with the Colorado-Big Thompson Project's long-term reserves.

Two months ago, snowpack in the Upper Colorado and South Platte watersheds was at 102 and 101 percent of average, respectively. Storage figures are now average, but runoff peaked three weeks earlier than usual.

Because C-BT Project water is supplemental to native supplies, less is made available in wet years and more in dry years. In an extremely wet year, the C-BT quota might be set as low as 50 percent.

During wetter than average weather in three consecutive years, 1996, '97 and '98, the Board set quota at 50 percent. The last time the Board increased the quota once it was set was in July 1997.