Alex Hager
Reporter, Colorado River Basin and Water In The West
Alex Hager graduated from Elon University in North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He'll join Aspen Public Radio from KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska.
“I am immensely excited to be joining the Aspen Public Radio team. I became a journalist because I love to meet interesting people, discover untold stories and tell them to folks who care. I can’t imagine a better place to do all three. I can’t wait to see what Colorado has in store and learn more about what matters to people in Aspen and beyond,” he said.
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In Arizona, fields of crops and a growing sprawl of suburban homes mean a increased demand for water in the middle of the desert. Meeting that demand includes drawing from massive stores of water in underground aquifers. But some experts say groundwater is overtaxed, and shouldn’t be seen as a long-term solution for a region where the water supply is expected to shrink in the decades to come. -
Three western states and the federal government have signed a $200 million deal to keep Lake Mead viable. Millions depend on it for water and electricity. It's at a historic low due to climate change.
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Water agencies from Arizona, Nevada, California and the federal government agreed to a multimillion dollar plan to keep more water in Lake Mead. The deal was signed at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas.
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“Anything that has to do with water, we’ve been totally blocked out,” said Christopher Tabbee of the Ute Indian Tribe. “We’ve never been consulted on any decisions.”
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Nearly half of tribal homes across the country don’t have steady access to clean water. Many in the Southwest rely on aging wells with polluted water, or truck in bottles from far away. In To'hajiilee, New Mexico, a Navajo community hopes a new pipeline from Albuquerque will remedy decades of struggle to get clean water.
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Drought in the Colorado River basin continues into its second decade. Scientists say it's driven high temperatures, low precipitation, and dry soil and streams. Climate change means they're likely to get worse.
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After another long, dry summer across the West, reservoirs in the region remain at record-low levels. It will take years of wet winters to climb out of drought, and La Niña conditions mean this winter is unlikely to bring one.
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Last year Colorado saw the two largest wildfires in it's history, destroying hundreds of homes and 600 square miles of forest. Largely unbothered, though, are beavers, whose wet habitats offer refuge.
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Deep in the Cameron Peak burn scar, nestled among charred hills, there’s an oasis of green — an idyllic patch of trickling streams that wind through a lush grass field. Apart from a few scorched branches on the periphery, it’s hard to tell that this particular spot was in the middle of Colorado's largest-ever wildfire just a year ago. This wetland was spared thanks to the work of beavers.
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It’s been almost exactly a year since the Cameron Peak Fire tore through the foothills outside of Fort Collins on its way to becoming the largest fire in state history. Now, restoration efforts are underway.
