Water

ProPublica has discovered a tax loophole that allows ranchers in parts of the Colorado River Basin to get bigger tax write-offs the more water they use. On this week's news brief, Gavin Dahl speaks to Abrahm Lustgarten, senior reporter for ProPublica, about his article, “Gimme a Break! IRS Tax Loophole Can Reward Excessive Water Use in Drought-stricken West.”

Thirsty Denver residents could get more of Grand County’s water because of a deal signed with Denver Water back in 2014. The Moffat Collection System would divert more water from the Fraser River through the Moffat Tunnel to Boulder County. The state approved a key permit in June, followed by a nod from Gov. Hickenlooper. But, in the current issue of High Country News, Sarah Tory writes about how the deal could be headed for a lawsuit. On Sounds of the High Country, Amy Hadden Marsh learns about the deal and the controversies. Tory begins with what Grand County agreed to.

For this week’s news brief, KDNK's Gavin Dahl speaks to Brent Gardner-Smith from Aspen Journalism about enforcement of water diversions. 

Brent's article is called “Don’t Take More Than You Need: Wrangling Wasted Water on the Western Slope.”