A local advocacy group has renewed longstanding questions about how pumping water from Grand County to the Front Range disrupts Colorado’s largest and deepest natural lake
Chris Outcalt
Chris Outcalt covers Western water issues for The Colorado Sun. He began his journalism career in New Hampshire, then moved West and became a reporter at the Lafayette News. He also was an associate editor at 5280 and a reporter for the Vail Daily. His freelance work has appeared in The Atlantic, Wired and Atavist. He is a recipient of the Livingston Award. Chris lives in Carbondale.
Email: chris@coloradosun.com Twitter: @chrisoutcalt
Posted inWater
Colorado’s soil moisture is better than in recent years. But that’s not saying much.
The relationship between dry soil conditions in the fall and spring runoff has gained more attention in recent years across the Colorado River Basin
Posted inEnvironment
Early-season snow off to good start in Colorado’s high country
Colorado’s snowpack is 140% of average for this time of year — but it’s still far too early to tell what kind of snow year the state will have
Posted inWater
International water researcher highlights Colorado Basin’s “disappearing” groundwater
Satellite data shows groundwater has dropped faster across the Colorado River Basin than reservoir levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead
Posted inWater
How to buy a San Luis Valley reservoir
A local water district, a federal land agency, a state wildlife group and a national environmental nonprofit partnered on a creative water deal with multiple benefits for the valley
Posted inWater
Colorado River managers looking to release less water from Lake Powell
Another significantly dry year combined with a 7 million acre-foot release could drop the reservoir below the point at which the dam can no longer generate hydropower
Posted inWater
Northern Water board lowers initial Colorado-Big Thompson quota for first time since 2010
Responding to the drier conditions in the Colorado River Basin, the board is taking what one member described as a “wait and see” approach
Posted inWater
Hydropower production down 20% as the Upper Colorado River system finished water year 2022
Agencies that both distribute and rely on Colorado River hydropower are rethinking how much energy they can count on in the future
Posted inOutdoors
New camping fees for Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness coming in 2023
The U.S. Forest Service will institute an overnight permit and fee system next year as visits to the area near Aspen have quadrupled
Posted inWater
Can a strain of wheatgrass with an odd name help Colorado farmers use less water?
Farmers and agricultural researchers across the state are testing the viability of a drought-tolerant perennial wheatgrass developed in Kansas called Kernza