River Report from Ark Watershed Collaborative
Colorado saw the return of monsoon weather patterns this past week, bringing welcome precipitation to the Arkansas Basin.
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Ark River Report shows declining streamflows
The weekend brought welcome precipitation to parts of the Arkansas Basin, but the U.S. Drought Monitor continues to show varying levels of drought across the river basin.
New legislation exempts fire ponds from Colorado water law
Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 22-114 into law Wednesday, authorizing the designation of fire-suppression ponds that will be exempt from the Prior Appropriation System established by the Colorado Constitution.
River Report indicates likely peak in spring runoff
Spring runoff appears to have peaked for 2022 while May precipitation lessened drought severity across Colorado and the Arkansas River Basin, according to the weekly River Report from the Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative.
Drought concerns limit initial Fry-Ark water allocations
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board approved 32,848 acre-feet of West Slope water allocations.
Arkansas River Report for May 16
Recent weather patterns have proven detrimental to the water outlook for the Arkansas River Basin with warm temperatures, minimal precipitation and high winds combining to reduce snowpack to 31% of median.
Chaffee Commissioners find BlueTriton in compliance with permit
With a 2-1 vote, Chaffee County Commissioners determined BlueTriton Brands to be in compliance with the terms of its 1041 permit following a public hearing.
Chaffee Commissioners review BlueTriton Annual Report
Chaffee County Commissioners convened a public hearing Tuesday to review the 2021 Annual Report concerning BlueTriton Brands’ Arrowhead bottled-water operations in Chaffee County.
County approves Aspire campground, outfitting facilities
Chaffee County Commissioners decided to uphold Planning Commission approval of the Aspire Tours application for a land-use change permit that will allow construction and operation of a campground, cabins and an outfitting facility.
Chaffee Planning Commission approves Aspire campground, outfitting facility
The Chaffee County Planning Commission voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve the Aspire Tours land-use application for a 72-capacity campground and outfitting facility on rural-zoned land along the Arkansas River just north of Big Bend.
Written in Water: A Brief History of Colorado Water Law and the Upper Arkansas Valley
“Here is a land where life is written in water.” — Thomas Hornsby Ferril, Colorado Poet Laureate
Written in Water: Author’s Note
Writing about water has been an important part of my career since 1990, when I started working with some of the world’s leading environmental scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After seven years at the…