Over the past few months, the positions of two of the states — Colorado and Arizona — have emerged as one of the main sources of disagreement.
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.
Posted inWater
Protecting the peak on the Crystal
A “peaking” instream-flow water right would keep in the stream all of the water not claimed by someone else during years with high spring runoff, thereby maintaining these periodic floods, which are essential for growing new cottonwoods.
Posted inWater
Boaters, anglers want clarity around public access to Colorado’s streams
The issue of stream access highlights a basic tension in Colorado’s laws and values: Are rivers just another category of property that can be privately owned and fenced off?
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Report takes aim at Colorado River water managers’ inaction
This process would be somewhat expedited, unique and, for some, it raises concerns about transparency and whether the public comment periods that are typically a part of an EIS process will be shortened.
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Front Range and Western Slope debate who should control Shoshone water rights
The River District is pushing for co-management of the water rights with the CWCB, which would be a departure from the norm, as the CWCB has never shared management of an instream-flow water right this large or this important with another entity.
Posted inThe Runoff
The Runoff | The future of the Shoshone water right comes into focus
Welcome to The Runoff, where Aspen Journalism’s Water Desk provides insider news and water-related updates you won’t read anywhere else under The Briefing and additional context and updates on the most recent reporting from our water desk under The Recap. Thanks for going deeper with us and forfor supporting our nonprofit, in-depth, investigative reporting. – […]
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State water board to decide if Shoshone water rights can be used for environment
The hearing reignites rivalries between the Western Slope and the Front Range, which takes about 500,000 acre-feet of water a year from Colorado River basin headwaters across the Continental Divide, a practice that can leave Western Slope streams depleted.
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Delta County ranchers want state action on conservation
The conservation conversation comes at a pivotal time for water users on the Colorado River, which remains wracked by drought and climate change.
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Low river flows trigger calls, closures, stressed fish
But this summer’s lack of precipitation and low soil moisture were the main drivers of dry streams.
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‘You need to have a fair bit of data’
At the request of LRE, scientists will pick a day this fall to take water quality samples and flow measurements at points along the entire length of the creek to better understand the sources of contamination.