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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 24d

Ted Cooke, former head of Central Arizona Project, has withdrawn his nomination as Reclamation commissioner, per Alex Hager, KUNC: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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Sep 12

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 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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Sep 10

Mud, silt, ash from run-off damaging water resources in rural Rio Blanco County

Irrigation ditch structures can be seen buried under mud in rural Rio Blanco County. Some livestock ponds are contaminated with ash and are unusable for animals. Residents posted post-rain videos last...

www.steamboatpilot.com

Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Sep 2

truly. i just do not see how the basin can dig itself out of that kind of hole leading into the snow accumulation season.

Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Sep 2

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.

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Aug 28

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Aug 21

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.

Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Aug 20

“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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jul 24

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jul 1

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 30

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...

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Reposted by Luke Runyon

Jennifer Yachnin @yachnin.bsky.social · Jun 17

Trump has quietly nominated veteran Central Arizona Project official Ted Cooke to lead the Bureau of Reclamation.

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 16

Chub fever is gripping Grand Junction.

Moniker man: Humpback Chub name has finally arrived

Humpback chub — it’s a fish.

www.gjsentinel.com

Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 10

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 4

it's bad.

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 4

Only four other years in the past two decades have seen lower runoff volumes into Powell: 2021, 2018, 2013, 2012.

Not great company for 2025 to be in. And generally this is when national media start dropping in for drought coverage, and it just doesn't seem to be breaking through this year?

Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 4

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.

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · Jun 2

"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...

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · May 29

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · May 29

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

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Reposted by Luke Runyon

Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · May 27

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

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · May 27

I went on 1A today to talk about how this year on the Colorado River is shaping up, and it's not pretty: the1a.org/segments/the...

The Colorado River's water-sharing treaty is expiring next year. How close is a new deal?

When so many people rely on the river, water-sharing agreements are highly political.

the1a.org

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Reposted by Luke Runyon

NPR @npr.org · May 27

BREAKING: NPR and three Colorado public radio stations are suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order seeking to ban the use of federal money for NPR and PBS.

NPR and Colorado public radio stations sue Trump White House

NPR and three Colorado public radio stations are suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order seeking to ban the use of federal money for NPR and PBS.

www.npr.org

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · May 23

A moderately dry winter in '25-'26 could have the massive reservoir again flirting with a loss of hydropower production by early 2027.

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Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · May 23

Lake Powell, the nation's second largest reservoir, is on track to have its second worst runoff season in the past 6 years. Flows are currently projected to be 49% of the long-term average.

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