Water Archives - The Colorado Sun

Ready for your next steak? These Colorado ranchers are battling drought to get it on your plate.

Shannon Mullane and Tracy Ross — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 09:57:00 +0000

Louis Martin, 66, the manager of Brett Gray Ranch opens a gate to a paddock Monday, June 15, 2026, in Lincoln County. Ranchers across the state are running their operations amidst an ongoing drought. (Cheney Orr, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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New homes and businesses in Denver will see major surge in water connection fees

Jerd Smith — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:20:00 +0000

Construction crews continue work on new Brookfield Residential town homes in Northfield at E. 47th Avenue and Beeler Court in Denver on June 17, 2026 (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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Water samples taken in Cañon City show some is unsafe to drink

Sue McMillin — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:11:00 +0000

Water samples submitted by residents of Cañon City await testing at the Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste mobile lab site April 25, 2026. The Colorado Citizens group will submit the samples to a lab and hopes to have results back by mid-May. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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Water samples submitted by residents of Cañon City await testing at the Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste mobile lab site April 25, 2026. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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Northern Water wins some, loses some on its $2.7 billion dams project

Michael Booth — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:08:00 +0000

The valley northwest of Fort Collins that would hold Glade Reservoir currently is home to U.S. 287, which would have to be moved from the area if NISP goes forward. (Northern Water)

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Landscape experts ask Colorado to “embrace the beige” for drought adaptation

Michael Booth — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:08:00 +0000

Thornton Water is one of the Front Range agencies that points aspiring waterwise gardeners to Resource Central for irrigation help and “gardens in a box.” This box is called “biodiversity nursery.” (Thornton Water and Resource Central)

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Are less-thirsty crops a solution to Colorado’s growing water problems?

Michael Booth — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Jason Webb, associate director of Colorado State University’s Eastern Plains agricultural research station near Akron, drops black-eyed pea seeds into a planter’s hopper from the back of a GPS-guided tractor, on June 4, 2026. Each packet of seeds in the box may come from countries thousands of miles apart that want new varieties of “cowpeas.” (Michael Booth, The Colorado Sun.)

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Latest Colorado River proposal is disappointing, some officials say. Here’s why.

Shannon Mullane — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:32:00 +0000

Signs warning boaters away from Blue Mesa dam Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison, Colorado sit high and dry on the lakeshore on June 3, 2026. Blue Mesa is Colorado’s largest reservoir. If filled to capacity, the the reservoir could hold about 940,000 acre-feet of water, enough to fill 463,518 Olympic-size swimming pools or cover 155 square miles in 2.5 feet of water. The Gunnison River basin received only 56% of it’s annual snowpack in the 2025-2026 season and did not provide enough water to fill the reservoir. Currently Blue Mesa reservoir is at 41% capacity. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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Signs warning boaters away from Blue Mesa dam Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison, Colorado sit high and dry on the lakeshore on June 3, 2026. Blue Mesa is Colorado’s largest reservoir. If filled to capacity, it could hold about 940,000 acre-feet of water, though its functional capacity is about 748,430 acre-feet. Currently Blue Mesa reservoir is at 41% capacity. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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Has the water in Denver’s Sloan’s Lake killed fish?

Cassis Tingley — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:55:00 +0000

(Provided by Gigafact.)

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Colorado declares statewide drought emergency

Shannon Mullane — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:31:21 +0000

Sparse snowpack is prominent on West Buffalo Peak in the Mosquito Range, pictured on February 5, 2026, from Buena Vista. (Andy Colwell, Special to The Colorado Sun)

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After a grim Colorado ski season, drought is crippling rafting

Shannon Mullane — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:04:00 +0000

The Jones Pass Road is nearly clear of snow at the 12,450-foot summit on May 30, 2026. Jones Pass is southwest of Winter Park, and the mountains to the west are in southern Grand County. (David Krause, The Colorado Sun)

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