Photo: RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post WRITTEN BY Jackson Barnett, Denver Post
Colorado has suffered from drought that has parched much of the state, hitting the Four Corners area especially hard, since late 2017. While the snowfall that pounded Colorado’s mountains in recent weeks has helped break the near-term drought, water experts aren’t declaring an end to the troubling long-term trend of low water levels as the state’s climate shifts to greater aridity. “Snowpack is only one part of the mosaic of the climate in Colorado,” said Jim Pokrandt, community affairs director for the Colorado River District. In Colorado, snowpack forms a strong pillar of water storage, but spring rains and summer monsoons will still be required to keep this year’s water at a needed high. If trends continue, 2019 will be only the fifth year the state’s water-storage level is at or above average since 2000, Pokrandt said.
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