Millions of dollars in federal funding have been released to continue restoring lands and streams in the fire-scarred Upper Colorado River Basin watershed in and around Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park. The roughly $4 million was frozen in February and was released in April, according to Northern Water, a major Colorado water provider and one of the agencies that coordinate with the federal government and agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service to conduct the work.  Esther Vincent, Northern Water’s director of environmental services, said the federal government gave no reason for the freeze and release of funds. The amounts and timing of the freeze and release are being reported here for the first time. 

Other Colorado River Basin news:

• The Arizona Republic (Phoenix): Opinion: Has the Colorado River reached a turning point? Not yet
• Vail Daily (Colo.): Bureau of Land Management has begun charging fees at Colorado River recreation sites