October 2021
A Century of Watching the Colorado River
A streamgage at Lees Ferry turns 100 years old... Right where the Colorado River flows into the mouth of the Grand Canyon, an inconspicuous 20-foot-high concrete tower rises from the riverbank. Inside [...]
July 2021
Reclamation releases additional 5-year projections to support drought response planning efforts in the Colorado River Basin
For the original press release, please click here. Media Contact: Upper Colorado Basin Public Affairs 385-261-1929 ucbpao@usbr.gov Lower Colorado Basin Public Affairs 702-726-1921 paaron@usbr.gov For Release: Jul 8, 2021 SALT LAKE CITY - As [...]
New director aims to protect Utah’s interests in Colorado River
For the original KSL article, please click here. SALT LAKE CITY — Amy Haas has worked on Colorado River issues for most of her career. But she's [...]
May 2021
Declining Lake Powell Levels Prompt Colorado River States To Form New Plan
For the original story, please see KUNC's article here. Declining levels at the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. have spurred officials in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New [...]
Upper Division States and Reclamation to Begin Development of Drought Response Operations Plan
PDF of Press Release - May 24-Mo Study FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; May 20, 2021 On May 14, 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) released its May [...]
Tyrrell: Colorado River water community can solve problems without tossing Compacts
For the original article in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, please click here. May 13, 2021 Allow me to grab the handle of the axe George Sibley’s recent article [...]
waterloop Podcast with Travis Loop: A Retrospective on the Law of the Colorado River with Amy Haas and Chris Harris
The Colorado River is managed under the “Law of the River,” a complex series of agreements, laws, legal decisions, and regulations that originated with the 1922 Colorado [...]
293rd UCRC Regular Meeting
The UCRC will conduct its regular meeting on June 24, 2021 using a webinar platform. Date/Time: June 24th, 2021 – 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Mountain Time [...]
January 2021
Colorado’s ornery, independent water guardians finally agree on one thing: Wall Street can look elsewhere
From The Colorado Sun, by Jason Blevins It’s rare to see Front Range water managers like Denver Water and Northern Water joining counterparts on the Western Slope [...]
Record low Lake Powell and bad 2021 drought forecast sets stage for water cuts
The dry 2020 and the lack of snow this season has water managers in seven states preparing for the first time for cutbacks outlined in drought contingency [...]
GOV. SPENCER COX APPOINTS NEW COLORADO RIVER COMMISSIONER
SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 14, 2021) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the appointment of Gene Shawcroft as the Utah Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC). [...]
Collaboration will protect the Colorado River from drought and speculation alike
Rebecca Mitchell is Colorado’s current Colorado River Commissioner as well as director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. She is in charge of negotiating operational guidelines for [...]
Utah settles with Navajo Nation on Water Rights
Two days after Christmas President Donald Trump finally signed the omnibus appropriations package totaling $2.3 trillion. The omnibus bill includes $1.4 trillion for federal spending and $900 billion [...]
December 2020
Reclamation selects Wayne Pullan as Upper Colorado Basin Regional Director
On December 18th, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman named Wayne Pullan regional director of the Upper Colorado Basin Region. Pullan has more than 25 years of [...]
November 2020
291st UCRC Regular Meeting – Online Webinar
The UCRC will conduct its regular meeting on December 14, 202o using a webinar platform due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Date/Time: December 14th, 2020 – 9:00 a.m. [...]
October 2020
Winter Drought Relief Unlikely in Western U.S.
This year is still on track to be one of the hottest years on record around the globe. This winter is likely to be warmer and drier [...]
Nearly Half of the U.S. Is in Drought. It May Get Worse.
The most widespread drought in the continental United States since 2013 covers more than 45 percent of the Lower 48 states, federal scientists said. Nearly half of [...]
September 2020
Water Shortages in US West Likelier than Previously Thought
There’s a chance water levels in the two largest man-made reservoirs in the United States could dip to critically low levels by 2025, jeopardizing the steady flow [...]
June 2020
KEY PLAYER ON COLORADO RIVER ISSUES SEEKS TO BALANCE COMPETING WATER DEMANDS IN THE RIVER’S UPPER BASIN
WESTERN WATER Q&A: COLORADO’S WATER CHIEF BECKY MITCHELL, NOW THE STATE’S POINT PERSON ON THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER COMMISSION, BRINGS DECADES OF WATER KNOW-HOW TO STATE, INTERSTATE [...]
May 2020
287th UCRC Regular Meeting – Via Webinar
The UCRC will conduct its regular meeting on May 19, 202o using a webinar platform due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Date/Time: May 19th, 2020 - 9:00 a.m. [...]