Arkansas River
Drought and irrigation demands will drain two Eastern Plains reservoirs, killing fisheries and the local economy
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has issued emergency fish salvages at Queens and Jumbo reservoirs, which will run dry this summer. Local communities are bracing for the loss of anglers.
In Florence, pop. 4,000, political upheaval is testing the city’s push to shake off its “ghost town” past
Voters will choose an entirely new city council next week, but Florence hasn’t let the absence of elected leaders slow its roll toward economic revival
Colorado rafting outfitters had record traffic, revenue in 2021. Will it be enough to keep them afloat this summer?
Colorado outfitters hosted a record 620,000 rafters last summer. But a decimated snowpack promises low flows and fewer crowds in 2022. Still, the rafting industry is optimistic.
Colorado’s attorney general wades into murky river dispute that could upend access to rivers, streams
Attorney General Phil Weiser wants the Colorado Supreme Court to intervene in a river access case, warning of “monumental consequences.”
Colorado appeals court revives river access, right-to-wade debate
Angler Roger Hill is suing a landowner over a right to wade in the Arkansas River, arguing that historic commerce on the river proves navigability, which requires public access.
Colorado rafting company sues federal government over minimum-pay rule for guides
Arkansas Valley Adventure and Colorado River Outfitters Association argue Biden, Department of Labor, cannot force minimum pay for permitted operations. They say the new rule could end overnight trips.
Colorado heads into snowpack season with low reservoirs — but a twinge of hope
La Niña winter could mean dry winter for southern Colorado, but conditions better than this time last year.
Monarch Pass could serve as a new model for wildfire mitigation in treacherous areas
About 90% of the tall spruce on Monarch Pass have been killed by beetles. If a fire were to spark there, the repercussions would be devastating.
How water rights work in Colorado — and why severe drought makes them work differently
Parched residents’ questions answered, from how much water the Front Range takes from the Western Slope, to how a power dam near Glenwood Springs saves Colorado River fishies
The Yampa River is overdrawn and running out of water. And it’s hardly the only one.
Earlier this year, officials called the river “over-appropriated.” Last week, Gov. Jared Polis declared 21 counties are in a drought emergency.
Pueblo’s Arkansas River levee is a Colorado gem. It’s also a reminder of the state’s deadliest disaster.
A 24-foot wall of water fed by torrential rain along the Front Range slammed through the narrow Arkansas River channel in downtown Pueblo on June 3, 1921.
Coronavirus flushed Colorado rafting in 2020
Colorado rafting businesses endured a 21% decline in traffic last summer, but early reservations and a not-so-bad snowpack are floating hopes for a rebound this summer.
Transportation board kills plan for trains to return to Colorado’s dormant Tennessee Pass
Colorado Midland & Pacific’s request for expedited approval of a plan to restore rail service was nixed on Thursday by the Surface Transportation Board.
Colorado’s major snowstorm only made a dent in the drought. These maps and graphs explain what’s going on.
The South Platte and Arkansas river basins are closer to average after last week’s precipitation, but the Western Slope remains painfully dry.
Opponents urge federal board to reject revival of Tennessee Pass railroad along Arkansas, Eagle rivers
Shipping hazardous material through Arkansas River Valley is “unconscionable,” Chaffee County commissioners say, joining more than 50 residents, business and environmental groups raising opposition to returning trains to long-dormant lines.
Free to good home: Century-old bridge spanning the Arkansas River near Cañon City
Martin Marietta needs a new bridge to its gravel mine. But first it has to find a home for the historic 20-ton Parkdale Bridge
Chaffee County calls for more time, study of contentious Nestlé water-bottling plan
Chaffee County's three commissioners want to measure the potential impact of Nestlé’s proposal to pump, truck and bottle up to 65 million gallons of water a year
Murals return to Pueblo’s levee as artists make concrete above the Arkansas River their canvas
Structural repair ground the old murals to gravel, but now painters have begun the physically demanding work to restore the critical public works project’s role in the city’s essential artistic life.
Nestlé’s plan to pump 65 million gallons of Arkansas River water to Denver for bottling stirs contentious fight
The world’s largest food and beverage company wants a new 10-year permit to pump 200 gallons of groundwater a minute and truck it to Denver for bottling. Nestlé’s plan has drawn sharp criticism from Chaffee County locals.
We now know how many billions of gallons of water Colorado will save by closing coal-fired power plants
By 2031 water use for coal-fired power plants in Colorado will drop to 3.7 billion gallons – a 68% reduction, according to the Energy and Policy Institute.
