Colorado Water
The drought is not over. The Denver Post has a short article about the continuing drought [July 28, 2004, "Summer rain hasn't ended state drought"]. From the article, "While steady rainfall in June and July has helped eastern Colorado turn green, other parts of the state have missed out, state water and weather experts said Tuesday...After six years of drought, aquifers, drained from years of heavy pumping because of the dry spell, still must refill. And overall soil moisture is still very low, experts said. Colorado has yet to refill reservoirs that were only 80 percent full on July 1, the normal peak of the runoff from the snowmelt...Denver Water's reservoirs are 85 percent full; they are normally 97 percent full in late July, Steger said. Customers, however, are using 27 percent less water than normal, aided by rainfall that often takes away the need to run sprinklers."
Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News [July 28, 2004, "Experts see glass half-empty"].
Update: The Western Water Clearing House comments lightly and reports faithfully on water issues. They're pointing to an article from the Arizona Central about the Colorado River. From the article, "Five years into the worst drought to hit the Colorado River in 500 years, the picture appears bleakest at the headwaters, where the water is the most finite. This is where the West's 1,450-mile lifeline begins, in the Rocky Mountains northwest of Denver. This is also where a new front in the West's water wars is most likely to erupt."
Thanks to Adding Understanding for the link.
6:17:41 AM 
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