… The mountains that feed the Colorado River with snowmelt are strikingly dry, with many ranges holding less than 50 percent of their average snow for this time of year. The low totals could spell trouble for the nation’s largest reservoirs, but those dry conditions don’t seem to be ringing alarm bells for Colorado River policymakers. Inflows to Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir, are expected to be 55 percent of average this year, according to federal data released this week. … The federal offices that manage Western water are in disarray amid layoffs and restructuring since Donald Trump returned to the White House. The Bureau of Reclamation, the top federal agency for Colorado River dams and reservoirs, is without a permanent commissioner. All the while, state and federal policymakers are spending most of their time and attention on drawing up new water-sharing rules.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

• KUNC (Greeley, Colo.): Colorado River bigwigs make ‘disturbing’ retreat from the public eye amid tense talks
• John Fleck at Inkstain: Blog: Colorado River negotiators won’t be appearing at Getches-Wilkinson conference
• The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah): The forecast for Lake Powell keeps getting worse
• Phys.org: Lake Mead at risk of reaching crisis levels with new projections
• Summit Daily (Colo.): Summit County’s snowpack sits slightly below normal and is among the best in Colorado
• Summit Daily (Colo.): Ask Eartha: What does poor snowpack mean for the water supply?
• Aspen Public Radio (Colo.): Conserving Western Slope water and fish habitat with the Gunnison Gorge Anglers