EVAPOTRANSPIRATION (ET) is the “invisible” part of the water cycle but it is incredibly important. It is the water evaporated from the ground back to the atmosphere both as transpiration from the leaves of plants and also as direct evaporation from open water and soil. By knowing the ET for the LAST few days or weeks, we can approximate the DEPLETION of water in our soils and estimate the need for irrigation water. Some municipalities have special weather stations to help estimate ET. COLORADO State University has a special weather network for this purpose – the Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet). The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District maintains a high quality ET.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the “invisible” part of the water cycle but it is incredibly important. It is the water evaporated from the ground back to the atmosphere both as transpiration from the leaves of plants and also as direct evaporation from open water and soil. By knowing the ET for the last few days or weeks, we can approximate the depletion of water in our soils and estimate the need for irrigation water. Some municipalities have special weather stations to help estimate ET. Colorado State University has a special weather network for this purpose – the Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet). The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District maintains a high quality ET.