Luke Runyon
Managing Editor & Reporter, Colorado River BasinAs KUNC’s 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’s Harvest Public Media reporter. I’ve 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’m a proud graduate of the University of Illinois’ Public Affairs Reporting program.
My work has been recognized by the Society of Environmental Journalists, Radio Television Digital News Association, the Colorado Broadcasters Association and the Public Media Journalists Association.
When I’m 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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Most major metro areas have shown they can grow without straining their supplies. But there could be limits to that success. -
In the time since 2013's floods, the immediate damage has been repaired. But even now, a decade later, projects to make sure communities like Longmont are prepared to weather the next big storm are still underway. -
Ten years ago, intense flooding came to Northern Colorado. The floods destroyed homes, roadways and bridges and left Front Range communities dealing with the after effects for years. The disaster left a mark on those who lived through it. To look back at the flood a decade ago and what's happened since, KUNC’s Nikole Robinson Carroll spoke with Luke Runyon. -
Moderate drought conditions have come back to Colorado after the state experienced a fleeting few drought-free weeks. -
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation's request for a federal assessment of its water needs and, potentially, to meet those needs with water from the Colorado River.
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Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Navajo Nation in a long-running dispute over what obligations the federal government has to supply water to Native Americans.
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The Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation in a case centered on the tribe’s rights to the drying Colorado River. The tribe claimed it was the federal government’s legal duty to help figure out their future water needs, and aid them in using their rights. But in a 5-4 decision, the justices said an 1868 treaty included no such promises. -
Now that a historic agreement on sharing the Colorado River has been struck, states are working out the details, and planning for its expiration in 2026.
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Leaders from three states along the shrinking Colorado River say they are ready to start taking less water from it. In a proposal announced Monday, water users and policymakers in California, Arizona and Nevada committed to reducing their take of the river until the end of 2026, when an existing set of management rules expires. -
The White House and seven Western states have agreed to a framework for sharing the Colorado River's water. The deal directly impacts 40 million people who rely on the river for water and power.
