About The Water Desk
The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative with three priorities:
Avoiding water bankruptcy in the drought-troubled Southwest: What the US and Iran can learn...
Past mistakes offer important lessons for future plans in the Southwest and other regions increasingly experiencing drought and water shortages.
Steamboat looks to new program to address high river temperatures
Steamboat Springs is trying to comply with state regulations and also cool down chronically high temperatures in an impaired stretch of the Yampa River.
Water planners pray for snow as 2022 forecast shows dry weather ahead
Colorado’s water forecast, already strained by back-to-back drought years, is unlikely to brighten this fall and winter.
Water Desk offers grants for coverage of Colorado River Basin
The Water Desk is now accepting applications for grants of up to $10,000 to support water journalism related to the Colorado River Basin.
Water Desk awards new grants to journalists and media outlets
The Water Desk is excited to announce the recipients of new grants to support water-related journalism in the seven states of the Colorado River Basin and the borderlands of...
Special Series: Crisis on the Colorado
The Water Desk is pleased to republish this outstanding five-part series by Jim Robbins and Ted Wood for Yale Environment 360.
Crisis on the Colorado Part I: The West’s Great River Hits Its Limits– Will...
As the Southwest faces rapid growth and unrelenting drought, the Colorado River is in crisis, with too many demands on its diminishing flow. Now those who depend on the river must confront the hard reality that their supply of Colorado water may be cut off.
Crisis on the Colorado Part II: On a Water-Starved River, Drought Is the New...
With the Southwest locked in a 19-year drought and climate change making the region increasingly drier, water managers and users along the Colorado River are facing a troubling question: Are we in a new, more arid era when there will never be enough water?
Crisis on the Colorado Part III: Running Dry– New Strategies for Conserving Water
Communities along the Colorado River are facing a new era of drought and water shortages that is threatening their future. With an official water emergency declaration now possible, farmers, ranchers, and towns are searching for ways to use less water and survive.
Latest multimedia content
This content is free to use and repost by media organizations and others under a Creative Commons license.
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Resources
We’ve collected a series of resources that help explain the complex and sometimes contentious world of water issues.
Cases, agreements and treaties
The legal intricacies of Western water can be difficult to wade through. This timeline offers an introduction to some key cases, agreements and treaties....
Background readings on Western water
Here are some helpful online resources for learning more about the Colorado River Basin and Western water issues.
On this page:
1922 Colorado River Compact1922...
Glossaries
It’s hard to understand water issues unless you know the lingo. Here are some helpful water-related glossaries on the web:
The U.S. Geological Survey's Dictionary...
Water books
Want to go deep and really learn about water issues? Here's a list of great nonfiction books on (Western) water issues, curated by Mitch...
Media and journalism
On this page you'll find a guide to water media, a Twitter list for Western water and examples of great water journalism.
Water news sources
One...