A handful of Colorado communities have passed resolutions that give rights to local waterways: Grand Lake to its namesake body of water, Ridgway to the Uncompahgre River and most recently, Durango to the Animas River.
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
Colorado River crisis fails to force deal from states
And if the states can’t reach an agreement by then, the federal government will impose its own management rules, doling out cutbacks that could trigger lawsuits from the states but would not go far enough to prevent the system from crashing.
Posted inWater
West Divide proposes backup water plan for Crystal River
West Divide representatives have said they are not interested in a large storage project and are committed to maintaining the free-flowing nature of one of Colorado’s last undammed rivers.
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Cities, water providers across the state want seat at the table in Shoshone water court case
But at least 23 of these “opposers” say in their statements that they are actually in favor of the deal and filed the documents in order to monitor and weigh in on the case.
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Pitkin County looks to boost Roaring Fork streamflows with water purchase
A memo outlining the deal noted that in order to purchase the Twin Lakes shares, the seller also required the county to buy the Fountain shares, which are estimated to yield about 26 acre-feet per year, but that water is not decreed for use on the west side of the Continental Divide.
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Colorado River experts say some management options don’t go far enough to address scarcity, climate change
This winter’s dismal snowpack and dire projections about spring runoff underscore the urgency for the states to come up with an agreement for a new management paradigm.
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Low reservoir levels main cause of toxic algae in Blue Mesa
The study also says maintaining a water-level elevation above 7,470 feet might help minimize the occurrence of these blooms.
Posted inThe Runoff
The Runoff | The biggest water stories of 2025
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. In 2025, the Water Desk brought readers authoritative reporting on water quality issues in the […]
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States repeat talking points with little progress on deal as Colorado River crisis deepens
A question looming over this week’s conference was: Will the federal government step in?
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December water forecast a sobering backdrop to Colorado River conference
The high-stakes fourth tool — which water managers across the basin are counting on to rescue reservoirs, set a new management paradigm and provide long-term stability to the system — is new guidelines for how the reservoirs will be operated and shortages shared after 2026.