All the snow the state got last winter has federal water managers lifting restrictions, on some places that use Colorado River water…
(CO River Water Use vxr :40)
The US announced Wednesday, it’s scaling back some of the unprecedented steps that were taken to save water. Last summer, reservoirs normally filled by the river were running so dry that water managers declared a “Tier 2” water shortage for the first time. That meant Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico got less water from here. Colorado has now sent enough of this year’s snowmelt down the river, for the feds to scale back restrictions this year. But scientists warn that one good winter won’t be enough to wipe away years of drought. The federal government is setting aside more than 8 million dollars to make improvements along the river. They’re going to quadruple the number of measuring stations, that track how much water evaporates from the river. That data’s expected to become critical, in negotiations over how to divvy up water in the future.