About The Water Desk
The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative with three priorities:
Water Desk news and announcements
Column: defining our scope and water journalism
The Water Desk is a new independent journalism initiative. We're starting up at a pivotal moment for both the news industry and water sector.
Building a network for water journalism
The Water Desk is building a collaborative network of media outlets that cross-publish content related to Western water issues.
Colorado River flows...
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.
Stories and reports
Can a grand vision or incremental change solve the Colorado River's challenges?
With talks looming on a new operating agreement for the river, a debate has emerged over the best approach to address its challenges.
Northwest Colorado ranchers grapple with state requirements to measure, record water use
Irrigators in Northwest Colorado are facing a sea change in how they use their water, and many ranchers are greeting such a shift with reluctance and suspicion.
Anger and disappointment as Yampa River ranchers ordered to measure water
Hundreds of ranchers in the Yampa Valley have ignored a state request to begin measuring the water they use, putting them on a collision course with regulators if they don’t relent.
Efforts to relocate an ancient wetland could help determine the fate of a water...
The cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs are looking to develop additional water in Eagle County and divert it to Colorado's Front Range.
Study: Colorado River water crisis could dry out Front Range, West Slope cities and...
If drought and climate change continue to sap the Colorado River, and a legal crisis erupts with downstream states, six of Colorado's eight major river basins could be forced to give up water.
The dam nobody wants just won’t go away
Dams can stop the natural flow of sand and silt to the sea—resulting in coastal wetland loss and disappearing beaches—as well as preventing fish from reaching vital spawning grounds.
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Multimedia and resources for journalists
Latest multimedia content
This content is free to use and repost by media organizations and others under a Creative Commons license.
Resources
We’ve collected a series of resources that help explain the complex and sometimes contentious world of water issues.
Background readings on Western water
Here are some helpful online resources for learning more about the Colorado River Basin and Western water issues.
Glossaries
It’s hard to understand water issues unless you know the lingo. Here are some helpful water-related glossaries on the web:
Water books
Want to go deep and really learn about water issues? Here's a list of great nonfiction books...
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.