Western rivers like the San Juan and the Colorado are mostly fed by burbling mountain streams, which are themselves fed by groundwater and snowmelt. But a study published on June 5 says those tiny streams are in trouble. The study in the journal Earth’s Future says the base amount of water in streams and rivers that doesn’t come from rain, also known as “base flow,” has been steadily declining since 1950, though that trend varies depending on the specific time period. … The study’s implications aren’t limited to the past. It predicts that if climate warming continues, by the end of the century, headwater streams could have anywhere from 45% to 65% less base flow to sustain them.

Other climate change and drought impact news around the West:

• KRCC (Colorado Springs, Colo.): A drought-stricken Southeastern Colorado river is drying up
• NBC9 (Denver, Colo.): ‘Nothing left here’: Westminster lake shrinks as Colorado drought has forced 48 closures
• The Coloradoan (Fort Collins): Drought, wildfires force bears and other wildlife into Colorado cities
• KOWB (Laramie, Wyo.): Drought prompts big game animals to seek water along Wyoming highways this season
• University of Colorado, Boulder: Blog: Drought is reshaping the spread of infectious diseases
• Somach, Simmons & Dunn: Legal alert: Drought and emergency SWSPs: The Colorado Doctrine showcases its flexibility