The problem from which all others stem, including the changing fish communities, and the reason Powell is so low in the first place is the climate-change-driven supply-demand imbalance, Schmidt said.
Author Archives: Heather Sackett
Heather Sackett is the managing editor at Aspen Journalism and the editor and reporter on the Water Desk. She has also reported for The Denver Post and the Telluride Daily Planet. Heather has a master’s degree from CU’s Center for Environmental Journalism and her reporting has been recognized by the Colorado Press Association.
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The Runoff | River District in D.C., streamflows stressed and a possible double peak
Insight and news from our Water Desk you won’t read anywhere else, plus additional context and updates on our most recent reporting.
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Early peak runoff for Western Slope rivers
For several locations — the Roaring Fork at Glenwood, the Crystal, the San Miguel and the Colorado at Cameo — the peak came so early that it was outside the window of what’s considered normal.
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Pitkin County agrees to fund ditch piping project
But to complete the final 3,600 feet, the ditch company is turning to public sources of money because they say the project will have the public benefit of keeping between 0.5 and 1 additional cubic feet per second of water in Hunter Creek.
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Marble quarry must build bridge, culvert and improve stream for Clean Water Act violation
The mining company said the Army Corps required them to choose compensatory mitigation that was “in-kind” to the impacts on Yule Creek and as close as possible to the affected area.
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Stream management planning watered down by agriculture
That divisiveness reveals the tension between traditional water users like agricultural producers, who take water out of the rivers, and recreational and environmental water advocates, whose goal is to keep water in the river.
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The Runoff | Anti-speculation efforts frustrated
In The Runoff for April, Water Desk Editor Heather Sackett shares news items you won’t read anywhere else, and updates and context from recent stories. A “new normal” of scarcity. Watershed penpals. A tribal lawyer argues for compensated forbearance.
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Lawmakers suspend attempt at legislative fix for water speculation
Still, the threat from out-of-state, urban interests loomed large at Thursday’s hearing.
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Spring runoff forecast looks better than last two years
But even though things on the whole are better than the previous two years, the lingering effects of drought means reservoirs are depleted and may take several seasons to rebound.
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Glenwood Springs secures water right for whitewater parks
Cities have long dictated water policy, even as river recreation represents a growing segment of the state’s economy.