Workers arriving early at the Ouray Ice Park on Tuesday found a disaster. A boulder the size of a pool table had sheared off the canyon wall and destroyed the metal walkway accessing the park’s popular ice climbs. And it ripped out the penstock that ferries water to the oldest operating hydropower plant in the […]
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Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government, Water
The closure of Colorado coal-fired powerplants is freeing up water for thirsty cities
Colorado’s rapid switch to renewable energy is having a surprising side effect: The closure of coal-fired power plants is freeing up precious water. Any newfound source of water is a blessing in a state routinely stricken by drought and wildfire, where rural residents can be kept from washing a car or watering a garden in […]
Posted inEducation, Environment, Growth, Outdoors, Politics and Government, Water
After decades of negotiations, restoration efforts on Colorado’s heavily diverted Fraser River are showing signs of success
For decades, the Fraser River has struggled with low flows, rising stream temperatures, sediment build-up, plummeting fish populations and degrading aquatic habitats due in large part to Front Range water diversions that drain 65% of the river. But after years of heated negotiations — and the formation of a partnership between environmentalists, Grand County officials […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News
Small hydropower providers are hoping it’s their time to shine as Colorado moves toward a renewables future
OURAY — The summer was dry. The water is low. So the acidity in the trickling Uncompahgre River, after it percolates through the mine-pocked Red Mountain Pass, is so high that it’s eating through the pipes that feed Eric Jacobson’s turbines. This means his small hydropower plant isn’t cranking out much electricity. But even in […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Outdoors, Water
Ouray’s iconic ice park has a plan for its future that could be a blueprint for other troubled Western wonders
OURAY — The glassy tentacles of blue ice are ready. The cantilevered finish line — with some American Ninja-type obstacles to challenge the world’s top ice climbers — teeters over the edge of the frigid Uncompahgre Gorge. Not only is Ouray and its ice park ready for this weekend’s 24th running of its celebrated ice […]