Farmers and ranchers cut back Colorado River water use to survive one of driest seasons on record

Farmers and ranchers cut back Colorado River water use to survive one of driest seasons on record

Farmers, ranchers and other water users in four Western states, including Colorado, are cutting back on water use because of low flows through the Colorado River Basin.  Less than half the normal amount of water flowed into Lake Powell from the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — this summer. Farmers in the four-state region fallowed fields and changed their crop plans to adapt to a smaller water supply. The dry summer …