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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The conversation around water speculation has been heating up in Colorado in recent months. At the direction of state lawmakers, a work group has been meeting regularly to explore ways to strengthen the state鈥檚 anti-speculation law. -
The city of Fort Collins is asking residents to use less water this spring and summer, as the city鈥檚 utilities department prepares for incoming ash and debris flows from the Cameron Peak burn scar. -
Environmental groups suing to halt construction of the Windy Gap Firming Project in Northern Colorado have agreed to drop their case in exchange for $15 million to address concerns about the proposed project鈥檚 water quality and ecological effects. -
The Colorado River鈥檚 biggest reservoirs are likely to drop to historically low levels later this year, prompting mandatory conservation by some of the river鈥檚 heaviest users. -
The Fort Yuma-Quechan Indian Tribe is situated at a nexus in the Colorado River Basin. -
A showdown is looming on the Colorado River. The river鈥檚 existing management guidelines are set to expire in 2026. The states that draw water from it are about to undertake a new round of negotiations over the river鈥檚 future, while it鈥檚 facing worsening dry conditions due in part to rising temperatures. -
This weekend鈥檚 snowstorm will likely translate to significant drought relief for portions of Colorado, while others remain mired in drier than average conditions. -
Greeley city council has voted in favor of acquiring a large aquifer on the Colorado-Wyoming border to supply future growth in times of drought. -
The decision of who gets to sit at the table, whose interests are represented, and what鈥檚 on the menu is still very much in flux. But the uncertainty isn鈥檛 stopping would-be participants from voicing concerns they feel leaders in the southwestern watershed can no longer ignore. -
Over the last couple years, Greeley's leaders have focused their energy on testing and developing an underground water supply to make that growth possible. The Terry Ranch project, estimated to cost upwards of $318 million to fully build out, would give the city access to an untapped water source 鈥� a rarity on the fast-growing, water-tight Front Range.
