… Last week, Gov. Jared Polis declared a statewide drought emergency. After record-low snowpack and persistent above average temperatures, every county in Colorado is drier than average. … The emergency declaration coincides with moving to phase 3 of the state’s drought response plan. It allows the Governor to access and appropriate money available in Colorado’s disaster emergency fund and sets up stronger state coordination on dispersing those resources. In addition, it opens the possibility of asking the White House to issue a federal emergency declaration. As it currently stands, farmers and ranchers can apply for a suite of relief options ranging from emergency loans, to grants for crop loss, to reimbursements for the travel costs of hauling extra feed or water for livestock. 

Other drought impact news:

• The Aspen Times (Colo.): Drought impacts flow into northwest Colorado fisheries
• Atmos: Blog: The winter’s snow drought is now a full-blown water crisis