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
Balmy winters heighten water worries
The last two Februarys – 2025 and 2026 – have seen the daily maximum temperature average above 50 degrees in Alamosa, which has never happened…
 ‘Large-scale fish kill’ on the Rio Grande
Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project work near Del Norte results in 7.2-mile stretch of the river being dried up; biologists say it could take three…
Feds will finalize operating guidelines for Colorado River reservoirs
The seven compact states failed to meet a Feb. 14 deadline for agreement on how to reduce their own usage of water to save the…
Special master OKs Rio Grande Compact decree
Resolution of longstanding Texas-New Mexico water dispute will go to U.S. Supreme Court for final approval
Water outlook: ‘worse and worse’
State water resources report has dire predictions for spring runoff, reservoir storage and warming temperatures
Low snowpack cause for concern, not panic
Forecast gives hope of a late wet winter and early spring
The year in water: Warming temperatures leading to a new ‘normal’
Persistent weather pattern of no snow pack and warmer days means Valley will continue to experience aridification
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
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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.