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 inEnvironment, News, Water

Federal water projections for Lake Powell and other reservoirs are “too rosy,” new analysis finds

by Chris Outcalt

The Bureau of Reclamation’s influential monthly forecasting report for water levels at Lake Powell and other reservoirs are consistently “too rosy,” said one of the five experts who co-published a new Colorado River basin research paper.  Each month, the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages Lake Powell, releases a widely read report known as the 24-Month […]

Posted inClimate, Coloradans, Economy, Environment, Housing, News, Outdoors, Water, Wildfire

Coloradans worried about water, wildfires and cost of living, new poll shows

by Chris Outcalt

Public concern about climate change and challenges involving water quantity and quality have increased sharply during the past decade, with more than 70% of Coloradans now viewing drought, inadequate water supplies and low levels in rivers and streams as a serious issue, according to new results from a long-term poll run by Colorado College.  “We […]

Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Outdoors, Water

22 years of drought in Colorado, rest of the Southwest is worst stretch in 1,200 years, study shows

by Chris Outcalt

The hot and dry conditions that have gripped the southwestern United States since 2000 account for the driest 22-year period on record stretching back 1,200 years, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.  What’s more, this new research finds that although there would have been a drought anyway, climate change […]