More than 150 people attended The Colorado Sun’s Arkansas River water panel in Rocky Ford on May 7, highlighting how important water and irrigated agriculture are to residents of the Lower Arkansas Valley and communities across the basin.

A recent article from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy explores how political pressure and corruption can influence major urban development decisions.

The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District thanks our prime bill sponsors Representative Ty Winter, Representative Tisha Mauro, Senator Rod Pelton, and Senator Nick Hinrichsen for their leadership and bipartisan commitment in advancing HB26-1340 through the Colorado General Assembly.

This has been a very important last couple of weeks for the rural communities of southeastern Colorado, with several significant developments, including the passage of HB26-1340, a bipartisan effort to bring long-overdue accountability and responsible land stewardship to permanently dried-up farmland.

Conditions across the Lower Arkansas Valley remain extremely dry and water supplies are significantly limited this year.

More than 100,000 acres of irrigated farmland in the Arkansas River Basin have been permanently dried up, often to supply municipal water demands hundreds of miles away.

Join The Colorado Sun in Rocky Ford for an evening focused on one of Colorado’s most essential resources, the Arkansas River.

At its February 25 board meeting, the Lower Ark District Board formally adopted a proclamation recognizing March 15 as the First Day of Irrigation Season in the Lower Arkansas Valley.

This week, the Lower Ark District plans to introduce legislation aimed at addressing the long-term impacts that can occur when irrigated farmland is permanently dried up as a result of a water transfer.

The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District heard a presentation from the Fountain Creek Watershed District (FCWD) during its February 2026 board meeting to discuss ongoing projects and funding challenges related to improvements along Fountain Creek.

As we look ahead to the start of irrigation season on March 15 here in the Lower Arkansas Valley, many of us do so with some uncertainty.

Irrigation water turns on March 15, flowing through the ditches and canals of the Lower Arkansas Valley and marking the start of the 2026 irrigation season.

We appreciate the editorial board of The Colorado Springs Gazette for highlighting how vital agriculture is to Colorado’s economy, contributing $47 billion annually and supporting communities across our state.

Colorado is a power player in our nation’s agriculture sector, from farming and ranching to the science that supports it.

At the Lower Ark District’s January 2026 board meeting, Nancy Gedeon with the Colorado State Demography Office presented on population trends and projections for Pueblo, Crowley, Otero, Bent, and Prowers counties, along with insights into El Paso County.

Colorado’s latest effort to examine how the state grows is the Strategic Growth Report published by the Department of Local Affairs on October 31.

As the year comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on what a pivotal year this has been and how clearly people are making their voices heard, both at the ballot box and in their communities.

A newly released report from the Pikes Peak Community Foundation shows that residents across the Pikes Peak region, specifically in El Paso and Teller counties, deeply value the preservation of local farms and agricultural.

On November 7, the Lower Ark District attended the Annual State Demography Summit, which offered valuable insights into Colorado’s changing population and what these trends mean for communities across the state.

On October 31, nearly 100 stakeholders from across Colorado joined Representative Ty Winter and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, both in person and virtually, to discuss and provide input on our proposed revegetation legislation, which we anticipate introducing during the 2026 legislative session.