Experiencing System Outages

Please note: Due to storm impacts on systems at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, NC, certain maps and statistics on Drought.gov may be experiencing issues. We apologize for any inconvenience at this time. Read more.

Document

Story Map: Drought in the Colorado River Basin

Document Author

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey

External Document

View the Story Map

Document Date

January 1, 2016

Document Description

Since 2000, the Colorado River basin has been experiencing a historic, extended drought that has impacted regional water supply and other resources, such as hydropower, recreation, and ecological goods and services. During this time, the Basin has experienced its lowest 16-year period of inflow in over 100 years of record keeping, and reservoir storage in the Colorado River system has declined from nearly full to about half of capacity.

Learn more about the current 16-year drought and its effects on the Colorado River basin through this story map, which was created by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in support of the Department of the Interior’s Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI).