Decreased snowpack in the Rocky Mountains may compound problems for Colorado, Arizona, California, and other Western states.
On April 10th, 61 percent of the lower 48 states were listed by the U.S. Drought Monitor to be in abnormally dry or drought conditions. To assess the vulnerabilities of the watershed and consider how water supply and demand might change in the coming years, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation has embarked on a study of theColoradoRiver Basin to be released this July.

“Existing demand very clearly outstrips existing supply,” says Barry Nelson, a senior policy analyst in the water program at the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  “That’s the main reason we’re seeing declining storage. That simply cannot continue.”

Read the full story at National Geographic. This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/warm-spring-drought-wildfires-water-shortages/