Colorado is in a severe drought
What does that mean for the water supply?
Original story by Cory Reppenhagen 9/4/2020 on MSN.com
Colorado is in a severe drought. What does that mean for the water supply?
The drought monitor, which is updated by the Drought Mitigation Center every Thursday, shows that 99% of Colorado is still under drought conditions, with just a slight expansion of level three severe drought.
Front Range residents are starting to notice the drought in their neighborhoods. The city of Boulder said they are experiencing dry ponds in their parks and open spaces.
While that does not impact the treated water supply, they also said that Boulder Reservoir may also appear dramatically low soon. The city, along with Northern Water, have started to drain the lake for routine maintenance.
Northern Water said the water released will continue to benefit the same residents that rely on Boulder Reservoir as part of their water supply, or held in other nearby areas.
Other reservoirs around the area have been showing low storage levels because of the drought.
“You might see that Chatfield got a little bit low this summer, lower than normal,” said Nathan Elder, the manager of water supply for Denver Water.
He said the grim description of the drought does not necessarily reflect the current status of the water supply.
While Colorado’s water supply appears to be in decent shape this year, it is a haunting reminder that we need to be ever more mindful of our water consumption. Our planet’s water resources are a finite supply, and this can be a surprise for states that are not used to operating in a water-conscious mentality.
Just because the majority of the US considers California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico to be the states that have to worry about drought conditions, the fact of the matter is that as years go on, water shortages will affect a majority of the country over the coming years.
