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Record March snow fueling above-average spring runoff forecasts
Fueled by a deep snowpack that hit record highs in some areas, spring streamflow is forecasted to be well above average across the Western Slope. According to the April Water Supply Outlook Report from the National Resources Conservation Service, streamflows are forecast to be 184% of median in the Yampa/White/Little Snake River basin; 173% of normal in the Gunnison River basin; 171% of median in the San Miguel/Dolores/Animas/San Juan basin. The mainstem of the Colorado River headwaters lagged behind other areas of the West Slope with a predicted 118% of normal streamflow.
Data Dashboard: Snowpack at lower elevation sites just shy of records
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Roaring Fork basin sites all exceed their snowpack seasonal peaks. Note: Local snowpack readings and chart are now using the percent of median instead of percent of average. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached...
Bill aims to address water quality at mobile home parks
State legislators have introduced a bill that would create a water-testing program at mobile home parks, addressing residents’ long-standing concerns about water quality. House Bill 1257, which is sponsored by District 57 Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Garfield County, would require the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to create a water-testing program that covers all mobile home parks in the state by 2028. If the testing finds a water-quality issue, the park owner must come up with a remediation plan and not pass the cost of fixing the problem on to the residents.
Data dashboard: Winter occupancy lagging behind last year
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. February 2023 occupancy down from last year in Aspen and Snowmass. Paid occupancy in Aspen reached 77.1% in February, down from 78.8% last year. Snowmass recorded 74.3% paid occupancy, down from 2022’s 78.2%, according to the February 2023 occupancy report for Aspen and Snowmass lodges, compiled by local tourism officials and reservations tracking firm Destimetrics. February occupancy reached 75.8% for the two towns combined this year, down from 78.5% last year.
Little information released on conservation-program proposals
Upper Colorado River Basin water managers have released little information so far about the Colorado proposals submitted for a conservation program, raising concerns about the approval process of the program, which aims to dole out $125 million in federal taxpayer money. The Colorado Water Conservation Board on March 22 posted...
Data dashboard: Roaring Fork basin snowpack keeps rising after recent storms
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Note: Local snowpack readings and chart are now using the percent of median instead of percent of average. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin, which is exceeding the basin-wide median seasonal snow-water equivalent peak of...
Garfield County commissioners defend Uinta Basin Railway against local opposition
Garfield County commissioners are bucking the Western Slope trend against the proposed Uinta Basin Railway (UBR), 88 miles of new track that would connect the eastern Utah oil fields to Gulf Coast refineries via the national railroad network running through Colorado. In a February work session between the Garfield County...
Data dashboard: Lake Powell on the rise for the first time in months
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Roaring Fork basin snowpack reaches 136% of normal as of March 19. Note: Local snowpack readings and chart are now using the percent of median instead of percent of average. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork...
West Slope water managers will not review, approve applications for conservation program
West Slope water managers say they are being cut out of the process to review and approve applications for a federally funded conservation program, even though a state official had previously promised they could participate. Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Executive Director and Colorado commissioner to the Upper Colorado River...
Data dashboard: Roaring Fork basin snowpack exceeds median peak following weekend storm
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Roaring Fork basin snowpack boosted to 131% of median. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin now exceeds the basin-wide median seasonal snow-water equivalent peak of 17.1 inches, which typically occurs in mid-April, after this weekend’s storm. Snowpack in the basin reached an average of 18.5 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on March 12 or 131% of median according to NRCS. Snowpack gained between one and three inches at each station after this weekend’s snowfall.
Nonprofit coalition aims to buy down homes to create affordable housing
As the least pricey free-market homes in once-affordable Colorado mountain towns such as Basalt and Carbondale are increasingly bought up as vacation properties and short-term rental investments, a new nonprofit coalition is aiming to keep them in the hands of locally based workers. The West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition, formed...
Colorado Springs seeks to keep water rights tied to dams, reservoirs
A Front Range water provider is entering its eighth year of trying to keep water rights alive for three small reservoirs in the headwaters of the Blue River in Summit County to take more water from the Western Slope. Colorado Springs Utilities has been mired in water court since 2015,...
Data dashboard: Snowpack still above average and climbing
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached 120% of average on March 5 or 129% of median with 17.6 inches of snow-water equivalent, according to NOAA. SNOTEL sites that monitor snowfall throughout the winter measured...
Report sheds light on child care capacity gap across the Aspen-to-Parachute region
Data gathered from licensed early-childhood education providers in the Aspen-to-Parachute region shows that these operators have capacity for fewer than half of the area’s children under the age of 5. The data also shows a disparity in the child care capacity available between the communities that make up the...
Low-elevation snow stacks up this season
Snowpack on the Western Slope is tracking above average for this time of year, which has some forecasters feeling optimistic about spring runoff. But there is also an interesting phenomenon that they don’t yet know what to make of. The snow-water equivalent — a measure of how much water...
EVENT: High Country film screening and panel discussion
Aspen Journalism partnering with filmmaker, community coalition to present free film screening event on March 11. An examination of Crested Butte, a neighboring ski town, High Country presents a microcosm of the great American debate on community; panel discussion to follow. Aspen Journalism is partnering with filmmaker Conor Hagen and...
Data dashboard: McClure Pass snowpack hits 143% of average
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached 120% of average for Feb. 26 or 129% of median with 16.5 inches of snow-water equivalent, according to NOAA. SNOTEL sites that monitor snowfall throughout the winter measured...
Data dashboard: Lake Powell sets new record low
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached 117% of average for Feb. 19 or 124% of median with 14.8 inches of snow-water equivalent, according to NOAA. SNOTEL sites that monitor snowfall throughout the winter measured...
Water managers set criteria for conservation program participation
Water managers in Western Colorado are helping to shape a water conservation program with policies they say are aimed at protecting water users. Last week, board members of the Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River Water Conservation District unanimously approved criteria that the organization will use to evaluate applications for the System Conservation Program.
X Games bus ridership rebounds but still lagging pre-COVID years
The new operator of Winter X Games is not releasing estimated attendance totals from last month’s event, although other data indicates that crowds were up from last year but still lagging the massive numbers seen during the pre-COVID-19 years. The Winter X Games, which have been held in Aspen...
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Aspen Journalism is a local, nonprofit and investigative journalism organization in Aspen, Colorado. Our mission is to produce excellent journalism, as well-informed citizens make better decisions and journalism is key to a functioning democracy.
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