How severe drought is affecting Colorado, from record fishing restrictions to threatened power supplies

Colorado’s drought is deepening well beyond dry fields and shrinking rivers. By mid-summer, some reservoirs are so low that they resemble rivers, boat ramps no longer reach water, and creekbeds have dried weeks early. Warmer temperatures in reduced waterways are contributing to fish suffocation, while declining levels at at least two dams threaten power generation. Water managers say the state faces record-low streamflows and is relying on monsoon rains to reduce demand, not to restore storage. Data released Aug. 6 by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows about half the state in extreme or exceptional drought, and Colorado’s 2026 water year is already the warmest on record.