7 states and Mexico divide up 15-17 million acre feet of water between them all; an output.

However the CO River system (the river, all its tributaries and evaporation) is actually something like a 11-13 million acre feet system.

So the water that goes out of the system (outputs) is significantly greater than the water that goes into the system (inputs).

That’s why, over its life, the system is gradually going down. In the past we could get away with it because many states weren’t taking their full allotment.

But with more states taking their legal allotment and the drought further reducing the inputs, the system has gotten more out of balance.

That’s what I was referring to generally. So it isn’t so much a drought problem, but a balance issue between the inputs and outputs. Though improved weather helps reduce the severity of the imbalance, it nonetheless remains imbalanced