An initiative of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder

The megadrought hits Lake Powell

In the 1960s, Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell, the 186-mile-long reservoir intended to store Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains. With the flows reduced by drought and...

Uranium cleanup in Moab

After more than a decade of work, a federal cleanup project along the Colorado River in Utah is still removing radioactive uranium tailings that could pose a threat to...

Photos: Green River, Yampa River, Echo Park and Dinosaur National Monument, September 2020

This page features ground-based photos of the Green River, Yampa River and Echo Park in Dinosaur National Monument. Echo Park, which lies at the confluence of the Green and...

Photos and videos: Paonia Reservoir, December 2020

This page features drone-captured photos and videos of Paonia Reservoir on Colorado's Western Slope. Located 16 miles northeast of Paonia, the reservoir lies along Muddy Creek, upstream from...

Photos and videos: Ruedi Reservoir, December 2020

This page features drone-captured photos and videos of Ruedi Reservoir on Colorado's Western Slope. ' Part of the federal Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, the reservoir has a capacity of 102,000 acre-feet and...

Aerial video: Colorado River and Green River in Utah, October 2020

This page features video footage shot with a mounted GoPro camera during a Lighthawk flight above the Green River, Colorado River and their confluence in Utah's Canyonlands National Park. The...

Photos and videos: Green River, October 2020

This page features drone footage and ground-based photos of the Green River, near Moab, Utah, and north of Canyonlands National Park. The Green, which begins in Wyoming's Wind River...

Map: Explore drone, aerial and terrestrial imagery from The Water Desk

Use this interactive map to browse our expanding collection of free-to-use photos and videos captured by drones, planes and ground-based photographers.

Aerial imagery: Colorado River and Lake Powell, October 2020

This page features images and footage shot with a GoPro camera during a Lighthawk flight above the Colorado River and Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona. The flight included views...

Drone videos and photos: Gila River near Winkelman, Arizona

See download info This page features drone footage and still imagery of the Gila River, near Winkelman, Arizona, just upstream from its confluence with the San Pedro River. The Gila...