Water rights

An Arkansas Valley watercompany has left the State of Colorado on the hook for nearly $1.4 million and may face a rare foreclosure proceeding by the Colorado Water Conservation Board as a result.

Colorado officials say ponds without water rights throughout the region are depleting the Colorado River system.

Thirsty Front Range Colorado cities continue to drive the market for South Platte River farm water with Aurora announcing two major deals to acquire farms and their water rights.

The state of Colorado and the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District are still at odds over a proposed White River dam and reservoir project.

The second-ever call on the Yampa River was lifted after water providers announced an Elkhead Reservoir water release to support irrigators and endangered fish.

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.

In a pilot project in Colorado, farmers are reducing irrigation on their hay fields and monitoring the results, to learn if they can send more water down the Colorado...

Should Colorado River water be used to grow alfalfa or subdivisions in the Phoenix metropolitan area?

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.

Part of a series by Aspen Journalism, KUNC, KJZZ and The Nevada Independent exploring how investors are banking on the West’s water scarcity.