unlimited it's the water, stupid

[Woolly Bugger]

Colorado River projected to deliver one-fifth of normal water to Lake Powell after 'astonishing' March heatwave: The record-hot March conditions that led to a rapid melt-off of the snowpack in Colorado were echoed across the seven-state #ColoradoRiver Basin — The #Aspen Times #COriver #aridification

https://coyotegulch.blog/2026/04/12/colorado-river-projected-to-deliver-one-fifth-of-normal-water-to-lake-powell-after-astonishing-march-heatwave-the-record-hot-march-conditions-that-led-to-a-rapid-melt-off-of-the-sno/

[Woolly Bugger]

Record U.S. drought sparks fears about wildfires, water supply and food prices

Drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, weather data shows. Meteorologists said it's a bad sign for the upcoming wildfire season, food prices and western water issues.

More than 61% of the Lower 48 states is in moderate to exceptional drought - including 97% of the Southeast and two-thirds of the West, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It's the highest levels for this time of year since the drought monitor began in 2000.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's comprehensive Palmer Drought Severity Index not only hit its highest level for March since records started in 1895, but last month was the third-driest month recorded regardless of time of year. It trailed only the famed Dust Bowl months of July and August 1934.

Drought peaks earlier than normal
Because of record heat, much of the West has had exceptionally low levels of snow in the first few months of the year, which is usually how the region stores water for the summer.  The region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah are contending with record-low snowpack, federal records show. Snowpack is the accumulation of mountain snow that fortifies rivers, reservoirs and drinking water systems once it melts. Low snowpack can make wildfire-prone land even more vulnerable

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drought-sparks-fears-about-wildfires-water-supply-and-food-prices/

[Woolly Bugger]

Feds order major water shift to avert Lake Powell shutdown

Federal officials have ordered emergency water releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir and reduced outflows from Lake Powell to Lake Mead in a bid to prevent Glen Canyon Dam from losing hydropower capacity amid record-low snowpack and worsening drought. The measures could raise Powell's elevation by about 54 feet over the next year, avoiding a critical drop below the 3,490-foot power pool level. While the plan aims to stabilize the Colorado River system, it will also cut water supplies downstream, affecting farms, cities, and power generation in the Southwest.

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Lake Powell nears critical power cutoff
The Bureau of Reclamation warned that without intervention, Lake Powell could drop below 3,490 feet by August 2026, the threshold at which Glen Canyon Dam can no longer generate hydropower. Current forecasts show inflows at just 29% of the historical average, among the lowest ever recorded. The emergency measures aim to boost Powell's elevation to at least 3,500 feet by April 2027, protecting both water delivery and regional power stability.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/feds-order-major-water-shift-to-avert-lake-powell-shutdown/gm-GM19146767?gemSnapshotKey=GM19146767-snapshot-1&uxmode=ruby

The takeaway
The crisis at Lake Powell underscores the urgent need to address the long-term impacts of drought and climate change on the Colorado River Basin, which supports a vast agricultural economy and the water and power supplies of tens of millions of people across the Western United States.

[Woolly Bugger]

Feds want to cut back water releases from Lake Powell in response to Colorado River drought
Federal and state officials rush to figure out how to move water between reservoir savings accounts to stabilize the supply for 40 million people in a parched river basin




Federal and state officials have proposed severe drought response actions, like drastically cutting water releases from Lake Powell, in face of a historically dry year and worsening conditions in the Colorado River Basin.

The Bureau of Reclamation announced Friday it will likely reduce Lake Powell water releases to 6 million acre-feet, the lowest amount in decades. It also intends to release additional water from Flaming Gorge, an upstream reservoir, to help elevate the water level in Lake Powell. The decisions could raise the specter of forced water cuts in states including Colorado, impact endangered fish populations and affect communities and economies.

Basin states, tribes and partners continue to provide feedback on the proposed releases. A final decision will be coming next week, Reclamation said Friday in a news release.

"Given the severity of the risks facing the Colorado River system, it is imperative that we take action quickly to protect a resource that supplies water to 40 million people and supports vital agricultural, hydropower production, tribal, wildlife, and recreational uses across the region," Andrea Travnicek, Reclamation's assistant secretary of water and science, said in the news release.

The Colorado River Basin, which stretches from Colorado's mountains to the Pacific Ocean, saw about a quarter of its typical snowpack this year. The skimpy snowpack also shrank the amount of water flowing into the basin's two major reservoirs, lakes Mead and Powell, the largest reservoirs in the nation. Lake Powell's lower probable inflow is forecast to be just 2.78 million acre-feet — 29% of historical average and one of the lowest on record.

Powell held about a quarter of its storage capacity as of a Bureau of Reclamation presentation Friday. Mead held about a third of its capacity. The amount of water stored in federal reservoirs across the basin was just 36% as of Friday.


https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/20/feds-water-releases-lake-powell-colorado-river-drought/

[Woolly Bugger]

US Wheat Crops Wither, Herds Thin as Spring Drought Deepens

Farmers across the Great Plains are confronting an intense drought that threatens winter wheat harvests and is pushing cattle producers toward costly feed purchases, prompting some to abandon plans to expand their herds.

The dryness is expected to persist through spring after weeks of scant rainfall and a late-winter heat spell that fueled massive pasture fires across the nation's breadbasket. Drought now covers nearly 90% of Nebraska and Oklahoma, with more than half of Nebraska in "extreme" drought. Such conditions have historically driven cattle producers to sell off animals and forced farmers to drill new irrigation wells as rivers run dry.


https://archive.ph/0oJgv

[Woolly Bugger]

Water costs are rising faster than inflation — and sending bills soaring
The cost of water and related services is rising twice as fast as inflation while utilities scramble to cope with escalating droughts and more intense storms.


When the reservoirs that provide water to Corpus Christi, Texas, dropped to just a tenth of their full capacity, officials knew they needed to take drastic action. Forecasts projected the city, which had entered its fourth year of drought, could run out of water in a matter of months.

So the city council approved nearly half a billion dollars to seek out new water sources, including paying a contractor almost 40 percent more to speed up construction of a nearly $500 million groundwater project for which it didn't yet have the necessary permits.

To fund this 11th-hour spending, residents will likely see their water rates double over the next few years, according to city manager Peter Zanoni — putting Corpus Christi among countless American communities whose water costs are on the rise as the planet warms.

As utilities cope with weather extremes by scrambling to repair their infrastructure and tapping new water sources, the cost is beginning to show up in residents' bills. Between 1998 and 2020, the average cost of water, sewer and trash collection services increased more than twice as much as the overall U.S. consumer price index, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"This drought has been punishingly severe," Zanoni said. "And it led us to this position where ... we have no choice."

https://wapo.st/48ZFUPT