The Yampa River is projected to flow at 64 percent of its long-term average flow this year, according to the Colorado River District.
Still, water managers are concerned about the impacts a long-term drought could have on Moffat County and its rivers.
This water is stored in Lake Powell, and some is released into Lake Mead.
Due to the drought in southern parts of Colorado, the Yampa/White/Green River Basin is anticipated to make up a larger portion of the water sent downstream this year.
Compound that with population growth and a growing demand for Colorado River Basin water on both Colorado’s Front Range and in Lower Basin communities, the river is being "pulled at both ends," said Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River District, during last week’s State of the River event.
If there is not enough water in Lake Powell, a compact curtailment would be instituted, meaning water users in Colorado would face curtailments, which are limits to their use.
Mueller said if Colorado faces a drought period today as it did between 1999 and 2005, there is not enough water in Powell to deliver downstream, which means Colorado is at risk of suffering a compact curtailment.
Within Colorado, Western Slope agriculture is the largest consumptive use of water in the Colorado River Basin, according to the Colorado River District.
"We believe our economy — the agriculture that we just talked about — is what is likely to suffer if we end up in a curtailment, so Colorado River District, along with the Colorado Water Conservation Board and others in the state are looking very closely at how we prevent a curtailment from ever occurring," Mueller said.
Water managers in both the Colorado’s Upper and Lower River Basins are working on Drought Contingency Plans to manage water in a way that would avoid a compact curtailment.