Aspen Journalism
Reservoir-release pilot project in Colorado to test possible compact call
Front Range water providers recently released water stored in Homestake Reservoir to test how to get water downstream to the state line in the event of a Colorado River Compact call.
Aspen officials want more data to plan for drought, seeking $59k for more tools
The city of Aspen is hoping some grant money can help it collect more data on snow and streams in the high country so it can better predict and plan for droughts.
Dillon Reservoir water levels hold on despite statewide drought
Amid one of the hottest summers on record for Colorado, Dillon Reservoir is 94% full, nearly 5 feet below its capacity. This level of drought has been manageable this year for Denver Water partly because of the 2018-19 winter.
Concerns rise over Grizzly Creek Fire’s impact on Colorado River’s endangered fish downstream
By Heather Sackett
The Grizzly Creek Fire in Glenwood Canyon has many people praying for rain. But the very thing that could douse the blaze, which has burned 32,000 acres as of Tuesday, has some experts...
Alternative plan to Wild and Scenic River designation for upper Colorado River OK’d
The alternative management planning process came about after the BLM in 2007 found that 54 miles of the upper Colorado River were eligible for a federal Wild and Scenic River designation.
Colorado official says demand management program holds water
At the heart of a potential program is a reduction in water use in an attempt to send up to 500,000 acre-feet downstream to Lake Powell to bolster thereservoir and meet 1922 Colorado River Compact obligations.
Forest Service flooded with comments opposing Whitney Reservoir, drilling
The vast majority of comments received by the agency opposed the proposed dam and reservoir in Western Colorado.
Colorado’s oldest water rights get extra protection from state engineer
Some water experts say preserving these pre-compact water rights, even though they aren’t being used, could give Colorado stronger footing in potential negotiations with Lower Basin states by propping up Colorado’s consumptive-use tally on paper.
City of Aspen banks on creative thinking for ATM water project
The city of Aspen is moving ahead on a project aimed at increasing the reliability of its water supply and environmental flows through what’s known as an “alternative transfer method,” or ATM.
The delicate dance of Dillon Reservoir during spring runoff
Managing how water moves from one side of the Continental Divide to the other requires cautious timing and accurate forecasting.