Click the link to read the article on the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel website (Dan West). Here’s an excerpt:
September 19, 2026
The Colorado River District’s Annual Water Seminar held at Colorado Mesa University on Friday, Sept. 18, naturally focused on this year’s historic heat and drought that left many on the Western Slope facing water shortages, but it also looked toward the future and the positive steps taken to address this year’s challenges…
“Unprecedented. Worst ever. Miserable. Warmest ever. Hottest ever,” [Andy] Mueller said. “You can keep going, but I want to also say that this was a year of extremely collaborative creativity in western Colorado. It is really important to recognize that, applaud that and make sure we grow that, because it is how we get through tough times. It’s how we’re going to survive and thrive in the future.”
[…]
Mueller highlighted the collaboration between communities, irrigation companies and water users throughout the district. He said there were many efforts that helped extend the irrigation season…
There were also areas, especially in the North Fork Valley and the Gunnison River, that have seen severe impacts from the drought. Colorado’s largest reservoir, Blue Mesa, is also in a dire condition, he said.
“On the Gunnison, there’s a train wreck that is accelerating at Blue Mesa,” Mueller said. “We are working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Uncompahgre Valley Water Users and the Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District to try to figure out solutions. But that reservoir, if anybody hasn’t seen it recently, is not just one reservoir anymore. It’s a bunch of little pools. It has dried up.”
[…]
Facing the challenges the future presents won’t be easy, Mueller said, but the next generations will depend on work done now.
“When I talk to my daughters who are in their 20s, they and their friends are absolutely scared for their future,” Mueller said. “They are extremely intelligent, they’re paying attention, but they look at this tremendous uncertainty that we have created in our society and in our globe. They need our help, helping them see the future. That is our job to do that.”
