On May 22, Colorado 3rd Congressional District Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Grand Junction, announced the release of $40 million to the Colorado River District (CRD) for the purchase and permanent protection of the Shoshone Water Rights. This funding release marks a milestone in the Colorado River District campaign, which was officially launched in December 2023, when […]
Colorado River
Posted inColumns
Historiography: The Politics of Water
Turn on the tap, water pours out. We take it for granted. But our water was hard-fought in the early 20th century by some of the Roaring Fork Valley’s legendary champions of water rights. In the late 1880s, Glenwood Springs attorney Edward T. Taylor dealt mainly with cases involving land and water issues. Particularly concerned […]
Posted inEnvironment
Colorado River District adopts five-year strategic plan and prepares for Oct. 3 Annual Water Seminar
This summer, the Colorado River District Board adopted a new five-year strategic plan. Formally named the Colorado River Water Conservation District, the Glenwood Springs-based agency manages and protects water resources on the Western Slope, encompassing tributaries and water use in 15 counties. The district was formed nearly 90 years ago, in 1937, in response to […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Defending Shoshone water right, Medicaid concerns
Glenwood Springs resident Judy Haynes returned to talk to the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) Monday about Medicaid and the threat to local hospitals. Haynes was one of several members of Mountain Action Indivisible, a local citizens group, who approached the BOCC in late May about supporting the retention of Medicaid in light of the threat […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
CO appoints first-ever, full-time river commissioner
On June 22, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources was proud to announce that Rebecca (Becky) Mitchell was appointed as Colorado’s first full-time commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC). Having served as director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) for six years, and simultaneously as a UCRC commissioner for the past four, […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Students get an aerial perspective on western water
High above the ground, three six-seater Cessna 210 airplanes are flying in formation. Below them stretches the arid landscape that dominates much of the Colorado River watershed. Inside the planes are college students from around Colorado hoping to get a new perspective on the drought crisis in the Colorado River basin. The eight college students […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Colorado River Basin states fail to agree upon major water conservation measures
Sopris Sun correspondent Olivia Emmer interviewed KUNC’s Water and Environment Reporter covering the Colorado River basin, Alex Hager, about the Bureau of Reclamation’s recent demand to users of Colorado River water. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Would you remind us what happened at the beginning of this summer? The federal government […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Feds demand unprecedented cuts to Colorado River water use
UPDATE Sopris Sun correspondent Olivia Emmer interviewed KUNC’s Water and Environment Reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, Alex Hager, about the Bureau of Reclamation’s recent demand to users of Colorado River water. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Would you briefly summarize the recent edict from the federal government to users of […]