Water rights

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

Are junior water rights to an oversubscribed river enough to justify two reservoirs on a farm? One Colorado rancher is about to find out.

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.

Managing how water moves from one side of the Continental Divide to the other requires cautious timing and accurate forecasting.

Farmers, large and small, are beginning to grapple with what the state’s first major groundwater regulation means for them.

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.

A group of ranchers is helping scientists learn more about what happens to pastures that receive less irrigation water.