As the Biden administration kicks off a years-long negotiation process to divvy up the shrinking water supply of the Colorado River, there are finally some signs of optimism after several bleak years. A record-breaking winter snowpack last year halted a precipitous downward spiral on the river and raised water levels at the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lakes Mead and Powell. But something else is also at play this year – farmers, cities and Native tribes are simply using less. Arizona, California and Nevada’s usage of Colorado River water has hit new lows … On Thursday, the US Bureau of Reclamation released a report detailing the factors it will consider when negotiating with states, tribes and other water users over exactly how much water the river can provide to the ever-growing West in the coming decades.

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• KUNC – Greeley, Colo: New Colorado River rules will be hard to agree on. A new report shows just how tricky it could be
• Colorado Sun: Colorado River task force slowly grapples with drought response solutions as deadline nears
• NASA Earth Observatory: Blog - Fresh powder on the Rockies
• The Center Square: Hobbs confident Water Policy Council will be successful despite exits