The American West is gripped by the worst drought in modern history, including most of western Colorado. The drought and recent heat waves in the region that are tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight. Jared Polis and Jim Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water, Colorado’s largest water agency, for a discussion on the drought and possible federal solutions. Tanya Trujillo, the department’s assistant secretary for water and science, cited a recent decision to release water from several Upper Colorado River basin reservoirs to supply Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the two manmade reservoirs that store Colorado River water. We have full faith that she will put her nose to the grindstone as soon as she’s confirmed by the Senate,” Haaland said.

Source: ABC News July 22, 2021 17:22 UTC