About The Water Desk
The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative with three priorities:
How low can the Colorado River go? A slow float on the 15-mile reach
On a hot and sunny morning in August, a group of nine paddlers pushed their duckies and stand-up paddle boards into the Colorado River at Harky’s boat launch in...
Drive for nuclear power boosts uranium industry — and tribal health concerns in Southwest
For decades, a Utah uranium mill has sparked debate over whether radioactive contamination threatens human health by getting into the water and the air.
‘Pain and suffering’: What the feds’ Lake Powell proposal means for Utah and other...
After years of analysis and stalled negotiations, the federal government last month finally laid out its proposal for managing the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs for the next decade.
The Bureau of Reclamation...
Latest multimedia content
Our multimedia content is available for free reuse by journalists and others under a Creative Commons license. Questions? Please contact us at waterdesk@colorado.edu
Resources
We've produced and collected resources to help you learn more about Western water issues.
Materials for SEJ Chicago, April 2026
Hands-on Workshop
Downloading, Reformatting and Visualizing EPA Drinking Water Data
Materials for the Society for Environmental Journalists conference in Chicago on April 15, 2026.
InstructionsSlidesData...
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....
Resources: Background readings
Browse our background reading resources.
Colorado River Basin
Helpful online resources for learning more about the Colorado River Basin.
1922 Colorado River Compact
1922 Colorado River Compact Meeting...
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 and examples of great water journalism. Have a suggestion for a story or outlet...