Trout need cool water to survive, but record heat this summer has driven water temperatures to lethal levels for fish. Wildlife officials are banning fishing during certain hours on rivers and streams across the U.S. West, following an exceptionally dry winter and amid widespread drought. Lower water levels mean rivers can heat more rapidly. … A study last year found “river heat waves” are increasingly happening in snow-dominated areas such as the northern U.S. and the Rockies, said Li Li, a professor in civil and environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study. Climate change, she said, is changing the size and timing of the mountain snowpack, and that’s contributing to river heat waves. The researchers also found more days when rivers were warm enough to stress cold-water species like bull trout.

Other drought and climate change impact news:

• The Denver Post (Colo.): How severe drought is affecting Colorado, from record fishing restrictions to threatened power supplies
• CBS Colorado: Aurora looks at successes and struggles of water conservation efforts as drought continues