Luke Runyon
Managing Editor & Reporter, Colorado River BasinAs KUNC鈥檚 managing editor and reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, I dig into stories that show how water issues can both unite and divide communities throughout the Western U.S. I edit and produce stories for KUNC and a network of public media stations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.
In 2021 I was a Ted Scripps fellow at the University of Colorado's Center for Environmental Journalism. Before covering water at KUNC I covered the agriculture and food beat for five years as the station鈥檚 Harvest Public Media reporter. I鈥檝e also reported for Aspen Public Radio in Aspen, Colo. and Illinois Public Radio in Springfield, Ill. My reports have been featured on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here & Now and APM's Marketplace. I鈥檓 a proud graduate of the University of Illinois鈥� Public Affairs Reporting program.
My work has been recognized by the Society of Environmental Journalists, Radio Television Digital 暗黑爆料 Association, the Colorado Broadcasters Association and the Public Media Journalists Association.
When I鈥檓 not at the station you can usually find me out exploring the Rocky Mountains with either a pack on my back or skis on my feet.
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Heavy debris flow is complicating search and rescue efforts along the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins, where three people are still missing in the wake of flash flooding Tuesday night. -
Emergency water releases from reservoirs upstream of Lake Powell are underway to preserve the nation鈥檚 second-largest reservoir鈥檚 ability to generate hydroelectric power. -
The water levels behind the Colorado River鈥檚 biggest dams are fast-approaching or already at record lows. The historic 21-year megadrought that is squeezing some Western states鈥� water supplies will also likely start showing up in energy bills, because those dams can鈥檛 produce as much electricity. -
Two of America's biggest hydroelectric generators, Hoover and Glenn Canyon dams, are in danger of reducing output due to historically low water levels.
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The government is expected to issue its first water shortage declaration for the river, which supplies more than 40 million people. That will mean hardships for farms, recreation and Indian tribes. -
Another dry year has left the waterway that supplies 40 million people in the Southwest parched. A prolonged 21-year warming and drying trend is pushing the nation鈥檚 two largest reservoirs to record lows. For the first time this summer, the federal government will declare a shortage. -
Colorado River water managers could be pulled back to the negotiating table as soon as next year to keep its biggest reservoirs from declining further. -
Deepening drought is raising fears of another bad year for wildfires. It's also expected to trigger more water cutbacks in a number of states.
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Water supplies are so tight in the West that most states keep close watch over every creek, river, ditch and reservoir. A complex web of laws and rules is meant to ensure that all the water that falls within a state鈥檚 boundaries is put to use or sent downstream to meet the needs of others. -
Declining levels at the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. have spurred officials in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico to search for ways to prop it up.
