Posted inClimate, Environment, Growth, News, Water

Watering restrictions work. But only 53% of Colorado cities have them.

By Sarah Kuta, Fresh Water News Despite a stubborn, 20-year drought and reservoirs whose supplies are below normal, Colorado communities remain split on whether to impose permanent outdoor watering restrictions, according to a Fresh Water News analysis of local watering rules. According to the analysis, which examined rules in 15 cities representing the state’s different […]

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

Colorado’s Water Plan has made progress toward ensuring supply, but the work’s far from done

By Sarah Kuta, Fresh Water News In the five years since Colorado’s Water Plan took effect, the state has awarded nearly $500 million in loans and grants for water projects, cities have enacted strict drought plans, communities have written nearly two dozen locally based stream-restoration plans and crews have been hard at work on improving […]

Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Outdoors

Colorado activates municipal drought response for second time ever as water forecast worsens

The state of Colorado has activated the municipal portion of its emergency drought plan for only the second time in history as several cities say they need to prepare for what is almost certainly going to be a dangerously dry 2021. Last summer, the state formally activated the agricultural portion of the plan, calling on […]

Posted inBusiness, Environment, Growth, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government

Proposal to shrink Holy Cross Wilderness, increase water storage draws hundreds of comments

Forty years after the Holy Cross Wilderness Area was created, an early effort to explore tapping its water supplies has generated more than 500 comments to the U.S. Forest Service. Aurora and Colorado Springs, which own and operate the only reservoir in the area, Homestake I, hope to demonstrate that they can divert more water from […]

Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government

Rafting season is ready to launch, but coronavirus worries are running high in Colorado

By Dean Krakel, Fresh Water News With warming temperatures in Colorado’s mountains and spring runoff in full swing, the whitewater boating season should be off to a roaring start. But Colorado’s stringent COVID-19 travel and recreation restrictions are forcing commercial rafting companies to create social distance on unruly rivers and face the potential for smaller […]