… Welcome to one of the hottest and driest summers metro Denver has seen in years, notwithstanding scattered monsoon rain relief last week in pockets of the Front Range. And the critical buffer the state relies on — stored water in reservoirs — is shrinking steadily, hobbled by the lowest recorded snowpack in Colorado since 1941. … Cities and towns are grappling with whether to boost limits on water consumption, especially with forecasts calling for high temperatures to remain in the 90s well into this week. And don’t be surprised if a citation arrives in your mailbox, as new monitoring technology gives water providers a precise view of who is complying with watering rules at any hour — and who is trying to get away with an extra helping of forbidden H2O.

Other drought news around the West:

• The Washington Post: A desert town may run out of water. Others could face the same fate.
• AP News: Water hauling is the new chore no rancher asked for
• RFD-TV (Nashville, Tenn.): Colorado potato farm adapts to drought and market challenges
• Axios Salt Lake City: Here’s why Utah’s wildflower season was a dud
• Manteca Bulletin (Calif.): Blog: LA may have ravished the Owens River but SJ farmers dried up the San Joaquin