Western Water Reporting
Throughout the history of the American West, water issues have shown their ability to both unite and divide communities. As an imbalance between water supplies and demands grows in the region, KSUT is committed to covering the stories that emerge.
Reporters Luke Runyon and Alex Hager cover the Colorado River basin. They report from the snowy headwaters in Colorado to Lakes Powell and Mead, to the river's delta in Mexico.
KSUT is a member of Western Water Reporting along with stations throughout Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Kansas. Stories are produced at KUNC in Greeley, Colorado.
LATEST STORIES
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Ted Wood/The Water DeskEngineering hurdles, high costs and political challenges stand in the way of an easy fix to the West's water shortages. This is Part 1 in the Western Water Myths five-part series. -
Alex Hager/KUNCThe Colorado River District wants to buy water used by the Shoshone hydropower, but a Front Range water supplier wants to see more data. -
Bureau of ReclamationThe river outlet pipes inside Glen Canyon Dam are getting a $9 million repair job, but conservation groups want to see more permanent changes at Lake Powell. -
Alex Hager/KUNCThe Colorado River starts as mountain snow, but climate change has made it harder to predict how much will flow into streams every year. A new study says springtime sun, rain and plants could make it easier. -
Alex Hager/KUNCIn Glen Canyon, home to Lake Powell, the shrinking reservoir has revealed areas that were once submerged. These scientists are counting the plants that live there, and have found that they're mostly native. -
Alex Hager/KUNCThe Imperial Irrigation District in California is the Colorado River's largest water user. A new conservation plan will spend hundreds of millions to save water, but environmental advocates raised concerns.
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Invasive zebra mussels could harm native fish and clog agricultural equipment. Until recently, they had never before been seen in the stretch of the Colorado River near Grand Junction. -
Negotiations over the water supply for 40 million people are hinged on how you interpret the words "will not cause," written into the century-old Colorado River Compact. -
Cities around Phoenix are spending billions to develop water infrastructure. Local leaders say it's a necessary step as the Colorado River shrinks and groundwater dries up. -
State, federal and tribal leaders met in Boulder, Colo. to talk about the Colorado River's next chapter. They don't appear close to an agreement. -
Some experts say the System Conservation Pilot Program, or SCPP, is costly and may not be the most effective way to save Colorado River water. -
States tasked with deciding the Colorado River's future have submitted competing proposals for how to manage the river's water. Environmental groups and tribes are also trying to help shape that conversation. -
A new study from University of Colorado Boulder researchers finds a strong chance that precipitation will make the next two decades on the Colorado River wetter than the last. -
A group of tribes that use Colorado River water sent a list of principles to the federal government amid contentious talks about how to share the shrinking supply. -
Colorado's Rocky Mountains have reached peak snowpack, but climate change is changing the way snow turns to water. States around the region are debating new rules for the river that center around new water deficits. -
Newly discovered damage to part of the dam holding back America's second-largest reservoir has people who rely on the Colorado River worried about their ability to get the water they need.
