About The Water Desk
The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative with three priorities:
Western U.S. snowpack is worth trillions of dollars
Putting a price tag on the water stored in the region’s high-elevation frozen reservoir
As deal deadline approaches, Colorado River stewards debate a broad range of options
It’s crunch time for negotiators from seven western states trying to strike a deal before Feb. 14 on how to share the dwindling Colorado River.
But four days of talks...
Low reservoir levels main cause of toxic algae in Blue Mesa
More releases to prop up Lake Powell could be coming
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.
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...