Drought

Pest control businesses in Colorado are getting more calls this time of year than usual after an extremely mild winter.

Cody Moser with the federal Colorado Basin River Forecast Center said in a monthly briefing Tuesday that just 1.4 million acre feet of Colorado River water is expected to reach Lake Powell through July. That's less than a quarter of what's considered normal.

Hydrologists working high in the Rocky Mountains have measured what they say is Colorado's driest winter of snow moisture on record. That means water shortfalls are likely ahead as drought persists across Colorado and other western states.

The unseasonal warmth that broke longstanding temperature records across the West last week was a hit to Colorado's already low snowpack. Climate change drove the heat wave, but scientists say it's still an outlier in today's world.

In the arid Mountain West, rivers are under growing pressure — from climate change, drought and rising demand for water. But new research from New Mexico suggests some river ecosystems may be more resilient than they appear.

Estevan López, New Mexico's water negotiator, said talks resumed March 2, and the upper and lower basin states are using a short-term pitch from Nevada as a starting point.

Salt lakes in the American West are shrinking — from Utah’s Great Salt Lake to smaller lakes scattered across the Great Basin. In her new book “Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History,” writer Caroline Tracey explores why these unusual landscapes matter, and what their decline reveals about humans’ impact on the environment.

An exceptionally warm, dry fall and winter have driven most of the state into drought.

Colorado's state climatologist said long-range forecasts are also not signaling a 'Miracle March.'

Warmest start to a water year in 131 years leaves experts hoping for a spring miracle, but a coalition of agencies focused on water, agriculture and emergency management is forming. Listen to "Morning Edition" host Michael Lyle, Jr. discuss this story with "Fresh Water News" editor Jerd Smith and then read the entire article at the link below.