Global warming melts snow fast, drying CO River

DENVER -- Fast warm up in the high Rockies, likely related to global warming pollution, is quickly melting a big snowpack. Warmer temps and fast runoff mean less water in the Colorado River this summer, and less water for Arizona agriculture and cities, despite big snowfall in the Rocky Mountains this winter.

"...it got very warm, very quickly in the upper basin, so snow melted very rapidly. That means we lost more water to evaporation and seeping into the ground," said to AP by Terry Fulp of the US Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that oversees management of the river.

Big ag, Maricopa County cities, tribes, and the City of Tucson Water Dept. keep using more CAP water to fuel urban sprawl, and wasteful crops & feedlots, worsening the situation.

As the drought grows, both 'lakes' Powell and Mead are forecast to be about 50% empty this summer. The Colorado River delta continues to die and retreat away from the Sea of Cortez in a maze of hard salt.

While it is a huge threat now to the arctic, global warming pollution is also a major threat to deserts, rivers, and Arizona.

We can't drink money, gold, or oil. We need enough clean water.