An angler tries his luck on the Yampa River shortly after it reopened for fishing in November 2020.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Amid a 20-year drought in Colorado, the Yampa River has been running low for years and late last summer was closed to recreation for just the second time ever because of low flow downstream.
Experts say without a dramatic and quick reversal of greenhouse gas emissions, the Colorado River Basin’s flow could decrease by more than 20% by 2050. But the current drought is unlike previous ones.
Bradley Udall, a climate and water scientist at Colorado State University, said this current drought has been brought on by heat and not lack of precipitation.