With snowmelt season ended and hot and dry conditions persisting since the start of July, stream flows are decreasing rapidly across the Roaring Fork Watershed. Flows on the Roaring Fork River in Glenwood Springs and the Crystal River in Redstone more than halved over the past week, and rivers across the watershed are flowing mostly below average (52-103% of normal for this time of year). Additionally, releases from Ruedi Reservoir have decreased 330 cfs over the past week, bringing flows on the Lower Fryingpan River to 168 cfs. With river levels decreasing towards summer baseflow and temperatures forecasted to continue climbing, now is great time to be thinking about indoor and outdoor water conservation. Find out more at www.roaringfork.org/your-watershed/water-conservation/reel-in-water-use/.

Stream flow, diversion and reservoir data acquired from U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Colorado Division of Water Resources, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Roaring Fork Watershed stream gages: www.roaringfork.org/your-watershed/river-flow/

Colorado drought conditions: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu