Luke Runyon
@lukerunyon.bsky.social
Here for watershed moments. Journalist covering water in the western U.S. Co-director of The Water Desk at the University of Colorado’s Center for Environmental Journalism.
📍 Grand Junction, Colorado
waterdesk.org
📍 Grand Junction, Colorado
waterdesk.org
A study in public policy crafted in the dark.
Utah's negotiator claims no Colorado River deadline missed, the feds were pleased with progress on a plan... the public just can't see it yet. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
Utah's negotiator claims no Colorado River deadline missed, the feds were pleased with progress on a plan... the public just can't see it yet. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
E&E News: Deadline for Colorado River decision shifts to February
The clock is ticking on short-term interstate deals on water use. A long-term operating plan must be in place by Oct. 1, 2026.
subscriber.politicopro.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
A study in public policy crafted in the dark.
Utah's negotiator claims no Colorado River deadline missed, the feds were pleased with progress on a plan... the public just can't see it yet. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
Utah's negotiator claims no Colorado River deadline missed, the feds were pleased with progress on a plan... the public just can't see it yet. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
Reposted by Luke Runyon
The Colorado River states missed a deadline to agree on permanent and voluntary water use cuts Tuesday. Negotiations will continue as the stakes get higher and river forecasts increasingly dire.
States That Rely on the Colorado River Miss Deadline to Agree on Cuts
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The Colorado River states missed a deadline to agree on permanent and voluntary water use cuts Tuesday. Negotiations will continue as the stakes get higher and river forecasts increasingly dire.
Reposted by Luke Runyon
The most insightful story you’ll read about yesterday’s missed deadline (i.e. the only one I’ve seen that actually talks to someone in the room!) @reviewjournal.com: www.reviewjournal.com/news/environ...
Colorado River deadline passes without an agreement
Tuesday was the deadline for seven states to submit a framework for a deal to update the river’s operating guidelines that expire at the end of 2026.
www.reviewjournal.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:43 PM
The most insightful story you’ll read about yesterday’s missed deadline (i.e. the only one I’ve seen that actually talks to someone in the room!) @reviewjournal.com: www.reviewjournal.com/news/environ...
Reposted by Luke Runyon
Negotiators for 7 states say they’ve made progress in talks on how to share the shrinking Colorado River, but they’ve missed an initial federal deadline.
“Conditions on the river continue to be problematic — more problematic over time as those reservoirs decline.” www.latimes.com/environment/...
“Conditions on the river continue to be problematic — more problematic over time as those reservoirs decline.” www.latimes.com/environment/...
The clock is ticking on the shrinking Colorado River as Western states miss a key deadline
Negotiators for seven states say they're making progress in negotiations aimed at addressing the Colorado River's chronic water shortages. But they missed an initial deadline.
www.latimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Negotiators for 7 states say they’ve made progress in talks on how to share the shrinking Colorado River, but they’ve missed an initial federal deadline.
“Conditions on the river continue to be problematic — more problematic over time as those reservoirs decline.” www.latimes.com/environment/...
“Conditions on the river continue to be problematic — more problematic over time as those reservoirs decline.” www.latimes.com/environment/...
Reposted by Luke Runyon
Could AI and data centers rekindle nuclear power and drive demand for Western uranium?
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Could AI and data centers rekindle nuclear power and drive demand for Western uranium?
Western politicians and tech companies are pushing a "nuclear renaissance" to deliver power for artificial intelligence and data centers.
www.azcentral.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Could AI and data centers rekindle nuclear power and drive demand for Western uranium?
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Here's a roundup of Colorado River states' leadership failure to agree on cutbacks and provide a management framework for the system that supplies 1 in 10 Americans with drinking water.
What will the feds do in response? Who knows! Complete lack of transparency in this public policy process.
What will the feds do in response? Who knows! Complete lack of transparency in this public policy process.
November 12, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Here's a roundup of Colorado River states' leadership failure to agree on cutbacks and provide a management framework for the system that supplies 1 in 10 Americans with drinking water.
What will the feds do in response? Who knows! Complete lack of transparency in this public policy process.
What will the feds do in response? Who knows! Complete lack of transparency in this public policy process.
The Colorado River's biggest dams are already producing less hydropower. Southwest utilities are preparing for a future where flowing water is less reliable:
Solar Growth Cushions Colorado River Hydropower Declines
Explore the impact of drought on Colorado River hydropower output as Arizona officials assess water policies under rising temperatures.
www.circleofblue.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The Colorado River's biggest dams are already producing less hydropower. Southwest utilities are preparing for a future where flowing water is less reliable:
Ted Cooke, former head of Central Arizona Project, has withdrawn his nomination as Reclamation commissioner, per Alex Hager, KUNC:
Nominee for top federal water role withdraws amid pushback from some Colorado River states
Ted Cooke had been tapped to run the Bureau of Reclamation, but withdrew as some Upper Basin states worried about potential bias.
www.kunc.org
September 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Ted Cooke, former head of Central Arizona Project, has withdrawn his nomination as Reclamation commissioner, per Alex Hager, KUNC:
Colorado River forecasts are dire. A loss of hydropower production at Glen Canyon dam is increasingly likely next year. Deadpool for both Lakes Powell and Mead is on the horizon.
The way out -- the only immediate solution -- is to have users in all 7 basin states agree to use a lot less water.
The way out -- the only immediate solution -- is to have users in all 7 basin states agree to use a lot less water.
The Colorado River Basin has operated in the red for most of the 21st century. Experts call for broad water cuts, now.
Water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell could be 9% of their combined capacity by the end of summer 2026, new report says.
coloradosun.com
September 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Colorado River forecasts are dire. A loss of hydropower production at Glen Canyon dam is increasingly likely next year. Deadpool for both Lakes Powell and Mead is on the horizon.
The way out -- the only immediate solution -- is to have users in all 7 basin states agree to use a lot less water.
The way out -- the only immediate solution -- is to have users in all 7 basin states agree to use a lot less water.
Going to be an uphill battle against a soil moisture deficit to get anything close to an average runoff season next year on the Colorado River. Even a decent snowpack this winter won't mean much given these antecedent conditions. It's dry af on the Western Slope.
September 2, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Going to be an uphill battle against a soil moisture deficit to get anything close to an average runoff season next year on the Colorado River. Even a decent snowpack this winter won't mean much given these antecedent conditions. It's dry af on the Western Slope.
The water situation on Colorado's Western Slope is so bleak this summer, as Heather Sackett reports: aspenjournalism.org/low-river-fl...
Low river flows trigger calls, closures, stressed fish - Aspen Journalism
Streamflows on the Western Slope have plummeted over the last month, sending water managers scrambling to boost flows for endangered fish and ranking it among the driest years in recent history.
aspenjournalism.org
August 28, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The water situation on Colorado's Western Slope is so bleak this summer, as Heather Sackett reports: aspenjournalism.org/low-river-fl...
Record high temperatures expected across much of western Colorado & eastern Utah today. Aspen, Craig, Durango, Grand Junction, Meeker, Montrose, Rifle, Bluff, Moab, Vernal all expected to tie or break the all-time high for the day.
August 21, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Record high temperatures expected across much of western Colorado & eastern Utah today. Aspen, Craig, Durango, Grand Junction, Meeker, Montrose, Rifle, Bluff, Moab, Vernal all expected to tie or break the all-time high for the day.
“We look at it as something that nurtures us. So we have to protect it.”
The Colorado River is this tribe’s ‘lifeblood,’ now they want to give it the same legal rights as a person
The move, by the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona and California would give rights of nature to the water, marking a historic first.
www.kunc.org
August 20, 2025 at 3:37 PM
“We look at it as something that nurtures us. So we have to protect it.”
Boat ramps start closing as Lake Powell takes a nose dive due to diminished river flows and unchecked demand for water in the Southwest: www.nps.gov/glca/learn/n...
Updated Forecast for Lake Powell Water Levels Will Impact Launch Ramps - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)
Updated Forecast for Lake Powell Water Levels Will Impact Launch Ramps
www.nps.gov
July 24, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Boat ramps start closing as Lake Powell takes a nose dive due to diminished river flows and unchecked demand for water in the Southwest: www.nps.gov/glca/learn/n...
Climate change is real. It's happening now. Human activity is causing it. And scrubbing the science about it doesn't change that.
National Climate Report Website Goes Dark
www.nytimes.com
July 1, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Climate change is real. It's happening now. Human activity is causing it. And scrubbing the science about it doesn't change that.
Grim new federal projections show Lake Powell, nation's second-largest reservoir, on a potential glide-path to losing its ability to produce hydropower by the end of next year.
www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4...
www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4...
June 30, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Grim new federal projections show Lake Powell, nation's second-largest reservoir, on a potential glide-path to losing its ability to produce hydropower by the end of next year.
www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4...
www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4...
Reposted by Luke Runyon
Trump has quietly nominated veteran Central Arizona Project official Ted Cooke to lead the Bureau of Reclamation.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
E&E News: Trump taps Arizona official to lead Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation commissioner is expected to play a key role in the contentious negotiations over use of Colorado River water in the West.
subscriber.politicopro.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Trump has quietly nominated veteran Central Arizona Project official Ted Cooke to lead the Bureau of Reclamation.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
Chub fever is gripping Grand Junction.
Moniker man: Humpback Chub name has finally arrived
Humpback chub — it’s a fish.
www.gjsentinel.com
June 16, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Chub fever is gripping Grand Junction.
With Colorado River negotiators in a ‘conclave,’ other experts are on the outside looking in www.kunc.org/news/2025-06...
With Colorado River negotiators in a ‘conclave,’ other experts are on the outside looking in
Water experts gathered at the University of Colorado, Boulder for talks about the future of the Colorado River. Top policymakers were notably absent.
www.kunc.org
June 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
With Colorado River negotiators in a ‘conclave,’ other experts are on the outside looking in www.kunc.org/news/2025-06...
From May 1 to today, June 4, the forecast for Colorado River flows into Lake Powell dropped by 10 percentage points, from 55% of avg to 45%. Shaping up to be one of the lowest runoff seasons in recent memory.
June 4, 2025 at 4:20 PM
From May 1 to today, June 4, the forecast for Colorado River flows into Lake Powell dropped by 10 percentage points, from 55% of avg to 45%. Shaping up to be one of the lowest runoff seasons in recent memory.
"The Denver Post requested an interview with all seven of the state negotiators. Three states—New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona—declined an interview and two others—Wyoming and Utah—did not respond."
www.denverpost.com/2025/05/31/c...
www.denverpost.com/2025/05/31/c...
Colorado River states still have no unified long-term management plan and ‘are just about out of time,’ experts warn
As the Colorado River shrinks due to drought and climate change, the negotiators must decide who will take less water — and they need to do so in the next few months.
www.denverpost.com
June 2, 2025 at 8:27 PM
"The Denver Post requested an interview with all seven of the state negotiators. Three states—New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona—declined an interview and two others—Wyoming and Utah—did not respond."
www.denverpost.com/2025/05/31/c...
www.denverpost.com/2025/05/31/c...
Has Lake Powell's fill already stalled out this year? Its level hasn't changed since last week at the time of year when it's supposed to be adding new storage. lakepowell.water-data.com
May 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Has Lake Powell's fill already stalled out this year? Its level hasn't changed since last week at the time of year when it's supposed to be adding new storage. lakepowell.water-data.com
The controversial Uinta Basin Railway, which would haul crude oil along lengths of the Colorado River, was greenlighted by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday. coloradosun.com/2025/05/29/u...
coloradosun.com
May 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The controversial Uinta Basin Railway, which would haul crude oil along lengths of the Colorado River, was greenlighted by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday. coloradosun.com/2025/05/29/u...
Reposted by Luke Runyon
Scientists found that since 2003 the quantity of groundwater depleted in the Colorado River Basin is comparable to the total capacity of Lake Mead. Much of the depletion is occurring in Arizona, where the bulk of the water is pumped to irrigate farmland in the desert. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Groundwater is rapidly declining in the Colorado River Basin, satellite data show
As the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined, even larger amounts of groundwater have been drained from aquifers. Using satellite data, scientists have estimated the vast water losses.
www.latimes.com
May 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Scientists found that since 2003 the quantity of groundwater depleted in the Colorado River Basin is comparable to the total capacity of Lake Mead. Much of the depletion is occurring in Arizona, where the bulk of the water is pumped to irrigate farmland in the desert. www.latimes.com/environment/...