Lawyers for senior water-rights owners sued the state government Monday in La Plata County and five towns, saying the state engineer is failing to protect water-rights owners from gas and oil companies. Gas and oil companies remove water from the ground after they drill wells.

Twenty-nine families afflicted by the salmonella outbreak in Alamosa's water supply sued their city government Monday. An investigation by the state Department of Public and Health and Environment concluded that salmonella bacteria from animal feces probably got into the drinking-water supply early in March 2008 and infected the entire water system for the nex

Ordinarily, it's a no-brainer for the Legislature to approve an annual bill that accepts hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government for water projects. But not Friday in the House. The federal government puts up the money in low-interest loans as long as the state pays for a fifth of the costs and the state Legislature OKs the projects on the list.

It wasn’t officially “Water Day” at the state capitol Wednesday, but it certainly had the feel of it. The day included discussions of several reports on water issues, a debate in the Senate over funding for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and a well-attended legislative luncheon hosted by the Colorado Foundation for Water Education.

Shell Oil Co. said Tuesday it is abandoning its quest for water rights from the Yampa River in northwest Colorado to develop oil shale production, citing delays in the project due to the global economic downturn. The Yampa is the last free-flowing river in Colorado, uninterrupted by dams or other diversions.

The Senate on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to almost $500 million in budget cuts that would balance the state's budget.

The state’s water construction funds have been a model of self-reliance, allowing the Colorado Water Conservation Board to operate without taking a dollar from the state’s general fund.