The 2023 program spent more and saved less water than in the past, but officials say there’s more that can be learned about water conservation in the next round.
Shannon Mullane
Shannon Mullane writes about Western water issues for The Colorado Sun and her work is funded by a grant from the Catena Foundation. She focuses on the Colorado River Basin, tribal affairs related to water, and West Slope water issues.
Born in East Tennessee, Shannon has been in Colorado for a decade or so and is holding down the fort in Durango, the Sun's latest outpost. Before joining the Sun's team, she contributed award-winning reporting on government, environment, health and more as a staff writer for The Durango Herald and as an intern for the Colorado Independent. She also earned a master's in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder. Shannon is conversational in French, trying really hard in Spanish, and often spotted baking or enjoying live music.
Posted inWater
How do Colorado towns grow when they have limited water for new homes? Ask Buena Vista.
Colorado’s need for more affordable housing is on a collision course with the state’s limited water supply. Buena Vista is testing out a new way to link water, housing and community values.
Posted inWater
Colorado faces a water-stressed future. Here’s how the state uses its existing supply.
Colorado’s cities, industries and farms will face increasing water shortages as temperatures climb and depending on how the state responds.
Posted inWater
Was the leading Colorado River conservation program a flop? Officials say no, but it wasn’t perfect either.
As the postmortem begins, Colorado River officials and water users say the program should continue even as they wonder if it had enough bang for the buck.
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Colorado River Basin states stake out positions on the future of Mead, Powell reservoirs
Basin states continue to disagree on how to change the reservoirs’ operations, but they do agree that the current rules don’t work.
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Colorado’s top water agency hires Lauren Ris as its new director, ready today to face formidable challenges
Ris will lead the Colorado Water Conservation Board in addressing critical water supply, quality issues statewide.
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What could make water use on farms more efficient? Artificial intelligence, according to one researcher.
Perry Cabot is teaming up with researchers around the country to experiment with AI algorithms that could reshape modern irrigation systems.
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40 million people share the shrinking Colorado River. Here’s how that water gets divvied up.
Everything you wanted to know about the Colorado River but were afraid to ask.
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Why is Lake Powell so important to the Colorado River? Here’s what you need to know.
The massive lake acts like a savings bank for water users, but the account balance is low enough to make officials from across the West nervous
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Heat from global warming is drying up the Colorado River, UCLA says
It’s not just drought impacting the snowpack, researchers say. Higher Western temperatures are sucking vital water from the seven-state basin.