When then-Gov. John Hickenlooper set out to create Colorado’s first comprehensive water plan in 2013, he called the chasm between the state’s water supply and its demand “real and looming.” Colorado’s water supply is already struggling to meet the demands of a growing state today. By 2050, Colorado is expected to add another 3 million […]
water rights
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Environment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
As metro Denver grows, another caller wants to tap the vast aquifer under the San Luis Valley
This story was published in collaboration with Bitterroot, an online magazine about the politics, economy, culture and environment of the West. An adobe arch spans a well-kept dirt road northwest of Crestone, wooden arms protruding from its sides. The name Rancho Rosado is engraved in the weathered brown wood, the red letters fading to pink. Behind the arch, […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government, Water
Deep mountain snow raised Lake Mead, Lake Powell water lines. But for the first time, supply cuts loom downstream.
Bountiful snow in the Rocky Mountains last winter buoyed levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, but not enough to prevent the first-ever mandatory cuts in water delivery for Arizona and Nevada under drought contingency plans finalized this spring by the states that rely on the Colorado River Basin. Lake Mead will enter 2020 just […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Environment, Growth, Water
Aurora spent $34 million on water from a toxic mine. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
FAIRPLAY — Joe Harrington unfurls the map of the mine he owns, a once notorious source of toxic cadmium and zinc tainting water in the South Platte River basin. He traces his finger along a 20-mile fault line, an underground wall of clay known as the London Fault that runs through the London Mine’s maze […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Water
Even after a rush of snow and rain, the thirsty Colorado River Basin is “not out of the woods yet”
Colorado’s water year has been extraordinary. After nearly 20 years dominated by drought, a combination of heavy storms, persistent precipitation and cold temperatures conspired for a water bonanza not seen in decades. Today, rivers are swollen, ample snow lingers in the mountains and the statewide snowpack sits at 3,700 percent of normal (just one of […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Acres of barren Boulder soil are headed to rehab (and that might just help fight climate change)
Walking toward the western edge of his farm, Marcus McCauley pauses to roll a cigarette, lighting up before jumping the fence dividing his property west of Longmont from the neighboring farm. A coyote walks across the far end of the 120 acres, traversing a patchwork landscape of exposed dirt and low greenery, pocked with prairie […]
Posted inColoradans, Environment, News, Water
Colorado said a quirky artesian mountain spring has to be capped. Residents are trying one last Hail Mary to save it.
TELLER COUNTY — Nearly three months after the deadline state officials set to cap it, Wesley Wigfall pulled up to Colorado’s quirkiest water source with a car full of 5-gallon jugs. He’s been making this trip every two or three weeks for years, driving up the windy roads from his home in Colorado Springs to […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government, Water
Congress OKs “pain-sharing agreement” to deal with Colorado River drought, starting water-use cuts across seven states
PHOENIX — The diverse, yet unified, politicians from seven states hailing this week’s swift passage of legislation supporting the installation of drought contingency plans to protect the Colorado River have taken the first step in what promises to be a long and painful process. Everyone in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: New oil and gas bill puts Colorado water at risk
More than jobs and the economy are at risk thanks to legislation on a fast-track in the General Assembly. SB 19-181 jeopardizes Colorado’s water future and those who depend upon it. Water is Colorado’s most precious natural resource. Colorado has four great rivers originating within its boundaries: the Platte, the Arkansas, the Rio Grande and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
Arizona will miss deadline for Colorado River drought plan that impacts water for millions, officials say
By Jonathan J. Cooper, The Associated Press PHOENIX — Arizona won’t have all the pieces of a Colorado River drought plan finished by the federal government’s deadline to finalize protections for water used by millions across the U.S. West, state water officials said Tuesday. It’s the latest hurdle threatening the plan between seven states to take less water from […]