Colorado’s water year has been extraordinary. After nearly 20 years dominated by drought, a combination of heavy storms, persistent precipitation and cold temperatures conspired for a water bonanza not seen in decades. Today, rivers are swollen, ample snow lingers in the mountains and the statewide snowpack sits at 3,700 percent of normal (just one of […]
Lake Powell
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
“We all know the clock is ticking”: Colorado, other western states to meet at deadline on Colorado River drought plan
By Ken Ritter, The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — With drought entering a second decade and reservoirs continuing to shrink, seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the overtaxed Colorado River for crop irrigation and drinking water had been expected to ink a crucial share-the-pain contingency plan by the end of 2018. They’re not going to […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Outdoors, Water
Plan to slow creeping Colorado River crisis could drain more water from Blue Mesa, Flaming Gorge reservoirs
Nearly two decades into a pervasive drought that has more to do with a warming climate than precipitation, the seven states that rely on the Colorado River are nearing completion of a seven-year plan to protect water in the West. The Upper Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan — one of the most significant proposals […]