It’s late May at Lee’s Ferry, the starting point for rafting trips down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. … There’s the smell of spray-on sunscreen, the buzz of excited crowds, and — beyond that — the extrasensory vibrations of a tinge of collective anxiety. Anxiety, because the water level in the river is on the lower side of normal for this time of year. Because a historically dry winter in terms of snowpack in some parts of the West means less water in Lake Powell, and less water released into the Colorado River by Glen Canyon Dam. Because, aside from the millions of people who rely on the river system for water and hydropower, there’s an entire river rafting economy in the Grand Canyon that does not know what to expect going forward.

Other water and snow recreation news:

• KSL (Salt Lake City): New temporary ramp keeps Utah recreation area operational amid Lake Powell’s decline
• KSL (Salt Lake City): An anomaly? How Utah’s record-low snowpack hurt the state’s ski resorts
• State Affairs: Arizona bill protects whitewater rafting businesses