Most of you are probably aware that much of Colorado has been going through a substantial period of drought, especially where it hurts the most, namely in the mountains. The Colorado snowpack at the time of this writing (Jan ’26) is at record lows, and long range forecasts give little reason to expect much change for at least several weeks. As we all know, the snow that lands in the mountains is used to water our gardens and lawns in the summer.

To add to the drought situation, the northern front range has been experiencing one of the warmest and driest falls/early winters on record. In the Fort Collins area, December smashed over 130 years of record keeping as being the very warmest on record! If it weren’t for the rains we received back in September, we would be in a state of drought.

Fortunately for the Fort Collins area residents, it appears there is sufficient water in Horsetooth Reservoir for the time of year. However, river flow rates down the Poudre and Big Thompson Rivers are way down due to the general lack of moisture. A substantial amount of moisture is needed to get them back up to where they should be.

Consequently, nobody knows what kind of water restrictions might be exacted on front range residents and water consumers this coming growing season as the Northern Colorado Water Conservation District won’t announce its allocations to its water purveyors until early spring. We can only hope that we begin receiving precipitation soon, especially in the mountains! In the meantime, please remember to winter water your trees and shrubs unless Mother Nature starts to provide us some adequate moisture.