A Colorado water trial could decide the future of an agricultural valley
The San Luis Valley’s proposed plan to reduce groundwater pumping could restore its depleted aquifer, but it comes at a steep cost to farmers and an agricultural economy already under strain.
Colorado won’t launch water-conservation program in 2027 without guarantee from feds
Officials say saved water should not be released for Lower Basin use
Utah’s urban residents rely on Colorado River water. Here’s how it gets there.
This story is part of a series on Utah’s transbasin diversions, produced by The Salt Lake Tribune, KUER and KSL. It was reported in...
Photos: San Juan River flooding, October 2026
This page in our free multimedia library features photos of flooding along the San Juan River in northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.
Days of...
Drought is reshaping Colorado’s ranches, one herd at a time
In Colorado’s North Fork Valley, Bill McKee has been selling off his herd of cattle. A combination of drought and increased hay costs put...
Arizona joins Nevada’s lawsuit challenging federal Colorado River plan
Arizona is joining a fight against the Trump administration’s 10-year plan for managing the Colorado River that could slash the state’s share of water.
The...
Photos: Colorado SNOTEL stations, October 2026
This page in our free multimedia library features photos of SNOTEL stations in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado.
The SNOTEL network monitors the...
A new legal path for stream restoration in Colorado runs into old water conflicts
Projects repair degraded headwaters, but downstream users have concerns
The trouble with tamarisk
Twenty-five years ago, land managers unleashed a beetle to control an invasive tree sucking rivers dry. But water levels haven’t risen—and the real villains are still causing trouble.
State water board green lights conservation program
Colorado aims to save water by not solely fallowing fields