About The Water Desk
The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative with three priorities:
Lake Powell is draining away from Bullfrog Marina. Now it has to move
For Dave and Gaye Babcock, Lake Powell is like part of the family.
The couple from Helper, Utah, have been coming for nearly 50 years. They got engaged at the...
Flexible pool of water could be key to protect Lake Powell
Concept paper lays out how water could be moved to where it's needed
Just add water: West Texas wetlands project brings new life to ancient riverbed
EL PASO, Texas — The wild waters of the Rio Grande have not flowed freely through the Rio Bosque wetland since 1943.
After being left to run dry for most...
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...