Drought in Grand Valley, Colorado

At the beginning of the month of April, the US Drought Monitor analyzed an area of Extreme (D3) Drought as covering 100% of Colorado Zone 006 - Grand Valley. Drought conditions remained unchanged through the end of the month. While direct impacts from the drought have not been noted as yet, there is increasing unease among those who live and work in the zone over what the drought could mean for summer wildfire season. There's also concern over water availability through the summer for irrigation and home use. Some local HOAs are estimating water will no longer be available for home use or irrigation by August. Drinking water providers in the Valley are also concerned over water quality. Some source water from the Grand Mesa snowmelt, which has a higher water quality than water sourced from the Colorado River. At this rate, the Grand Mesa snowpack is in such poor shape that most water providers expect to have to use river water to provide drinking water. There's also concern about being able to draw from the Colorado River at all due to low flow and low water levels. Drawing from the river also has water rights concerns, as much of the water through the Colorado River in the Grand Valley is already allocated to areas downstream.

The month of April saw weather closer to that expected for the time of year. While temperatures did end up being, on average, warmer than normal, the departures were significantly less compared to the month of March. The mountains saw a few solid snowfalls during the month, as well as some precipitation across the lower elevations. Areas north of I-70 generally fared the best. Locations in this region did see some improvement in drought conditions. Areas south of I-70 generally remained the same or worsened slightly.