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Colorado farmers tighten their belts ahead of summer drought | HPPR
UTE MOUNTAIN UTE RESERVATION — Michael Vicenti did quick mental math while driving his pickup past acre after acre at the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch, trying to tally the impact of a record dry winter.“I believe we’re going to have maybe 900 fields that are fallowed,” he said.The tribe’s Farm and Ranch Enterprise expects to receive less than 14% of its usual water supply this year — and it isn’t alone. After the worst winter on record ended with a record heat wave in March, many farmers and ranchers in Colorado are headed into the summer tightening their belts and searching for any extra drop of water they can find.At the Farm and Ranch, some of the fields were brown; on others, cattle grazed. The green plants on a few fields would soon be dormant, Vicenti said. The crews wouldn’t be able to water them.“We’re just going to have to make the best of it,” Vicenti said. “According to our calculations, we’ll have enough water until June. That’s it.”The state’s snowpack, a vital water supply for Coloradans and communities in 19 downstream states, took a nosedive in early April. Cooler temperatures and a few storms helped slow the rapid melt, but it will be difficult for the snowpack to rebound before spring ends, climate experts said during a Water Conditions Monitoring Committee meeting last week.About 98% of Colorado was experiencing some level of drought as of Tuesday, with more than half the state falling in the two worst drought categories identified by the U.S. Drought Monitor.Reservoirs in most areas can help cushion the brunt of the drought conditions. Statewide reservoirs were at 89% of the norm, and most areas of Colorado had a normal amount of water storage heading into the summer. Southwestern Colorado and parts of the Eastern Plains, including Kit Carson, Cheyenne and Kiowa counties, were the exceptions, each with less than average water supplies in reservoirs.In response, Coloradans jumped into action. Municipal providers were already talking about drought watering restrictions in April, a time when the snowpack normally peaks.Emergency managers were discussing fire restrictions. Boaters and rafters are out on the rivers early, knowing the higher flows won’t last.Farmers and ranchers expect heavy impacts from the lack of water. Some are reducing their herds and planning to grow less food and hay. Others are hoping to avoid having to lay off workers.“The livelihoods of many, many people are on the line here,” said Mike Bartolo, a retired vegetab...
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The West's Unprecedented Winter Could Fuel a Summer of Disaster
Record-low snowpack and an early heat wave could mean a higher risk of drought and fire in coming months.
