SLV WATER
CLIMATE change, drought, development, over-use and export plans all threaten the Upper Rio Grande basin water supply. Read our journalism on the issues here.
Upper Rio Grande Basin series
Upper Rio Grande basin: Water-saving alternative crops
Hemp, quinoa showing promiseas drought persists by Mark Obmascikfor The Citizen WHEN Dion Oakes wanted to start growing hemp in the San Luis Valley, he had to learn about irrigation, fertilizer, and…
Upper Rio Grande Basin: A battle over water exports
THE Front Range executives who want to export water from the San Luis Valley to sell elsewhere are clear about a few things: They have money. They are backed by former Gov.…
Upper Rio Grande basin: The threats ahead
DAY 1: The water supply of the San Luis Valley faces pressure as never before By Mark Obmascikfor The Citizen THEY all remember when the San Luis Valley brimmed with water. South…
Daily Coverage
Water trial of the century delayed
January date scrapped in favor of June 29, 2026, after ‘key witness unavailability’ — four years after Fourth Amended Plan of Water Management was first…
Barren fields find beneficial use
Innovative project will revegetate and restore the land, while producing revenue from carbon credits
Permanent interactive exhibit: We Are Water
Alamosa Library houses topo table that shows the Rio Grande’s journey and uses from the headwaters on down
Study warns of ‘existential water crisis’ in the Rio Grande Basin
Urges action to avoid ‘continued loss of farmland due to financial insolvency from lowered crop production’
A warm, dry November
Forecasts predict below-normal moisture heading into the winter holidays
 October rains stopgap worst flows
Rio Grande Water Conservation District quarterly meeting reviewed unexpected October rains, irrigation year end seems to be on schedule
A reversal of water fortunes
October brought full canals and bolstered reservoirs, and ‘a little extra head start’ into winter
Rivers begin to recede after surge from heavy rains
Now it’s time to measure and account for the extra water in management of the Rio Grande Compact
 La Niña brings swollen rivers, flooding
SLV emergency managers on alert with warnings of low flash floods
The Rio Grande’s pecan problem
Downstream from the San Luis Valley, New Mexico works to balance aridification with the needs of big ag and small farms
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Rio Grande Basin Roundtable
The Rio Grande Basin Roundtable contributes informational articles to The Citizen each month. RGBRT is committed to representing the major water uses of the Rio Grande, and actively addressing the challenges we face as a community.