LightHawk Full Group

Flying with LightHawk: A Welcome New Perspective on the Colorado River

June 28, 2024

Water, it is safe to say, is of the moment. Safer yet, the drought-stricken Colorado River is center stage. Seemingly overnight, the water beat has transcended from dusty backroads and Southwestern capitols to the front page of mainstream media outlets. Giving rise to that newfound coverage are the conferences and...

Wolf Law

GWC's 2024 Colorado River Conference Shatters Attendance Records

June 20, 2024

The Getches-Wilkinson Center just wrapped up the 44 th Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources, which has held at the law school on June 6-7, 2024. This year, the conference once again focused on management of the Colorado River watershed, and GWC was honored to co-convene this important conversation...

Brown Trout Image from Canva

Study Offers an Environmental and Economic Argument in Defense of Flood Irrigation

June 13, 2024

New research from a team at the University of Wyoming (including the CRRG’s Kristi Hansen) suggests that flood irrigation in shallow alluvial aquifers can have significant economic benefits in the Upper Green by creating return flow regimes benefitting the brown trout sport fishing economy. The work highlights the complicated site-specific...

Photo by Len Necefer

2024 GWC Conference on the Colorado River

June 5, 2024

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and Water & Tribes Initiative will be co-convening the 2024 Conference on the Colorado River on Thurs, June 6th and Fri, June 7th at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO. Next Chapters on the Colorado River: Short-Term Coping, Post-2026 Operations, and Beyond For many years, full...

Gov Polis signing HB 1379

House Bill 1379 Signed into Law

May 31, 2024

Yesterday was a triumphant day for the State of Colorado because House Bill 1379 (HB1379) was signed into law by Governor Polis. HB 1379 was designed to respond to the Sackett v. EPA decision last May and provides regulatory protections for Colorado’s state waters and wetlands. The signing took place...

river and rafters

Colorado River Research Group Looking Beyond the 2026 Rulemaking

May 24, 2024

The GWC in 2024 is working to revitalize the Colorado River Research Group (CRRG), a group of prominent academics and close colleagues offering an “independent, scientific voice” on key Colorado River issues. The CRRG was formed in 2014, and has produced policy briefs on many salient subjects, including basin hydrology...

Egypt Delegation Group Photo

GWC Meets With Delegation From Egypt

May 20, 2024

On May 15, 2024, GWC’s Director of the Western Water Policy Program, Doug Kenney, and Professor and GWC Board Chair, Mark Squillace, met with a delegation from Egypt to discuss Egypt’s ongoing struggle to reach an agreement with Ethiopia and Sudan over the management of the Blue Nile River. (The...

Andrew Teegarden

Colorado Bill Protects Wetlands & Streams

May 8, 2024

On May 6 th , 2024 the Colorado Legislature passed HB24-1379 – a bill designed to protect the wetlands and streams at risk after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The passage of the house bill saw overwhelming support from the regulated community, environmentalists,...

Andrew Teegarden

Correcting Discrepancies within SB24-127

April 24, 2024

Currently, there are two conflicting bills in the Colorado Legislature that would create a new state program regulating the dredge and fill of wetlands and streams across the State – HB 24-1379 and SB 24-127. A key question facing lawmakers is the scope of this new program or, in other...

Sidney Williams

Latest Updates in the Post-2026 Colorado River Operations Process: Post-2026 Alternatives Submitted

April 23, 2024

The Colorado River is undergoing a big change in management that has the potential to affect nearly forty million people who live in the Colorado River Basin and rely on Colorado River water. Flowing through more than 246,000 square miles in seven U.S. states and Mexico, the Colorado River Basin...

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