Summit County Water Commissioner Warns of Record Drought Impact

Northwestern Colorado isn’t just dry. It’s in the "nasty bullseye" of the worst drought in recorded history.

That’s not a warning from a distant climatologist. It’s a fact from Troy Wineland, Summit County Water Commissioner. He delivered the message last week to folks who buy and sell homes here. The context matters because your property value and your water bill are tied directly to what’s happening in the snowpack.

The short version: We had the warmest winter on record.

The result is a Colorado River Basin that is hot, dry, and shrinking. Wineland noted that precipitation across the seven-state basin was well below average. A heatwave in March melted the snowpack faster than usual. The snow peaked a month early. The water content is roughly 8 inches lower than normal.

That missing water doesn’t just vanish. It means streams will carry 15 to 40 percent of their average flow. That is a massive reduction. And it hits us harder than anywhere else in the state.

Most of northwest Colorado is under "exceptional drought." That is Level 4 of 4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor. It is the highest classification. By June, the entire Western Slope faces an elevated risk for wildfires. Fire managers aren’t guessing. They are preparing for a dry, windy season fueled by a snowpack that melted too fast.

The impact is already visible in our reservoirs.

Dillon Reservoir, which supplies water to Denver, won’t fill this year. Why? Because the water is being diverted under the Continental Divide to the Front Range. We are losing our share to the cities to the east. Downstream, Green Mountain Reservoir is sitting at about one-third capacity. Levels are dropping. They will keep dropping.

And Lake Powell? The nation’s second-largest reservoir is getting less water than ever before. The river is starving.

Wineland didn’t mince words. He told the audience hosted by Altitude Realtors on May 8 to share what they learned with their neighbors and homeowners associations. If you haven’t implemented watering restrictions yet, do it yesterday.

The state is rolling out "tight and severe" restrictions. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a mandate for conservation. The message is clear: use less, or face penalties.

Make no mistake. This is about more than just turning off the hose. It’s about the structural shift in how water is allocated. The Front Range gets priority. We get the leftovers. And right now, the leftovers are drying up.

Wineland emphasized that this isn’t an isolated event. Almost the entire Colorado River Basin is facing these conditions. But northwestern Colorado is the epicenter. The "nasty bullseye" isn’t a poetic metaphor. It’s a geographic reality. We are the first to feel the squeeze and the last to see relief.

The question isn’t whether the drought will end. It’s how much damage it does before it does.

Wineland’s advice was practical. Share the data. Cut your water use. Prepare for fire. The snowpack is gone. The heat is here. The water is gone.

Read that again.