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

Decades later, abandoned mines continue to haunt Colorado’s waterways

According to a 2017 study, there are over 23,000 abandoned mines across Colorado and 1,800 miles of streams that are impaired due to pollutants related to acid mine drainage.
Drone view of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. Photo by Mitch Tobin

Video and photos: Colorado River drone footage near Moab

This page features drone-captured footage and photos of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. The imagery shows the Colorado as it approaches Moab, with State Route 128 bordering the river. After...
Drone view of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. Photo by Mitch Tobin

Video

Data viz: surveying Colorado River Basin maps

This collection of Colorado River Basin maps includes public domain images and other cartographic resources for depicting the watershed.

Photos: Front Range aerials, May 2019

This photo gallery features images shot during a Lighthawk aerial tour of water-related sites along Colorado's Front Range. After departing from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, the flight...
The Colorado River, near Radium, Colorado. Photo by Mitch Tobin

Videos and photos: Colorado River drone flight, August 2019

This page features drone-captured footage and photos of the Colorado River, near Radium, Colorado. The imagery shows the Colorado River after it emerges from Gore Canyon, a popular whitewater rafting...
Colorado River drone photo near Radium, Colorado. Photo by Mitch Tobin

Photos

precipitation map ecowest

Map: monthly average precipitation

This map shows total rain and snowfall in the contiguous United States, every month from 1981 to the present. The map's color scale runs from white (no precipitation), to blue (significant precipitation) to red (intense...
us drought monitor ecowest dashboard

Map: weekly drought reports

This map depicts data from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Drought intensity categories are based on numerous indicators and local reports from more than 350 expert observers around the...

Map: U.S. dams and reservoirs

The Global Reservoir and Dam Database (GRaND) is a survey listing about 7,000 larger dams and reservoirs worldwide, including 1,920 in the United States. Data includes such parameters as...