Tag: colorado river
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Perspective: Eastern justice for the Western Slope
The Western Slope is roughly a third of Colorado. It holds the headwaters of the Colorado River system, the federal land that covers most of its counties, and a disproportionate share of the state’s energy, water and agriculture. What it does not hold, and has almost never held, is a seat on the courts that have the last word on…
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Behind Lake Powell’s low water levels, a canyon is coming back to life
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The Colorado River Basin is often described in terms of crisis — drought, warmer climate and failed water-sharing talks. Yet beneath Lake Powell’s retreating shoreline, Glen Canyon is quietly experiencing one of the largest natural restorations in the river’s history. The focus on the Colorado River has centered on the historic drought, overallocation and the…
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Colorado River overallocation collides with Colorado snowpack conditions
Tapped: Colorado’s Front Range is at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores, and conserves its water — while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that underpins…
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Amid record low snowpack, Colorado cities impose restrictions, farmers brace for ‘disaster’
By Mary Shinn and Savannah Eller In the West, water is for fighting, but this year, for many, there might not be much to battle over. The critical snowpack that sustains cities, farmers and ranchers is the lowest in memory. Some areas in the high country were barren at the start of the month. Cities,…
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Gov. Jared Polis, Upper Basin states criticize federal draft plan for managing the Colorado River
With no agreement among the seven Colorado River states, which missed multiple federal deadlines, the Upper Colorado River Commission on Monday sharply criticized the U.S. Department of the Interior’s draft plan for managing the river after the current guidelines expire this year. The critics accused federal officials of exceeding their authority and of relying on…
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Deadlocked: Colorado basin states negotiations collapse
With the Feb. 14 deadline looming, the seven states in the Colorado River Basin failed to reach an agreement on how to manage the river after the 2026 operating guidelines expire later this year. John Entsminger, Nevada’s chief negotiator, said there is no deal in place. “The seven Colorado River Basin states have failed to…
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Colorado joins lawsuit against Trump energy emergency order
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Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a multistate lawsuit challenging an executive order invoking the National Emergencies Act that President Donald Trump issued on the day of his inauguration. The order fast-tracks fossil fuel projects by bypassing or shortening environmental reviews. While the act applies nationwide, according to a news release from his office, Weiser’s…
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Specter of litigation looms as Colorado River basin governors head to DC
Feb. 14. That’s the next deadline for the seven states of the Colorado River to reach an agreement on how to manage the river after the current operating guidelines expire. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation would like the next guidelines to be in place by Oct. 1, the beginning of the next water year, but…
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With guidelines expiring, federal agency releases draft plan for Colorado River operations
Two months after the seven states of the Colorado River Basin failed to reach consensus on managing the waterway, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a set of proposed alternatives. The alternatives are familiar concepts, including “no action” — an unlikely scenario — and certain levels of coordination, including voluntary measures, among the states. One…
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No deal? Tuesday is federal deadline for Colorado River states to develop agreement framework
This Tuesday is the deadline set by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the seven states of the Colorado River to develop a framework for an agreement governing the river’s operations. But that agreement seems just as far away now as it did when Scott Cameron, who was named acting head of the Bureau of…