How Much Of All That Rain Does Colorado Actually Get To Keep?

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Photo: Rainy Boulder (AP Photo), weather, rain
A man walks a student to school in the rain, in Boulder, Colo., Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Colorado braced for a spring storm with unseasonably heavy rains and several inches of snow expected in the high country.

This past May was Colorado's rainiest in recorded history. Though many Coloradans were frustrated by the soggy spring, 18 other states and the country of Mexico were likely pleased. That's because a lot of the rain that falls in Colorado goes to them.

James Eklund is the director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. He explained how interstate compacts, and the infrastructure between Lake Powell, in Utah and Arizona, and Lake Mead, in Nevada, determine how much water leaves the state.

Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation, and read highlights below.