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

Why atmospheric rivers can be both harmful and helpful

These "rivers in the sky" can cause catastrophic flooding but are also critical for the West's snowpack

Water flux and toxic wells – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 12 – Kathy James

On this episode of Water Buffs, we examine how drought can harm human health, specifically how dramatic fluctuations in water availability can lead to increasingly toxic water supplies.

Helpful sites for tracking snow and the (subpar) snowpack

There’s no shortage of websites with maps and graphics visualizing snow forecasts and the state of the snowpack.

Staying safe with the Winter Storm Severity Index

This pragmatic tool from federal forecasters illustrates where snow, ice, and wind can be deadly and disruptive.

What to watch on the Colorado River in 2024

After years of dry conditions throughout the West, 2023 gave the region’s water managers the greatest gift of all: a hefty snowpack. What will 2024 bring?

Billions in federal assistance after New Mexico’s largest wildfire. But little money to repair...

Stream restoration beset by lack of money and workers.

Colorado River crisis — How did the nation’s two largest reservoirs nearly go dry?

Experts cite complicated operating systems, competing government agencies, rigid guidelines and climate change

Colorado squeezing water from urban landscapes

Pace of transition has accelerated, deepened and broadened

Scientists use simple cameras to answer complex questions about forests and the snowpack

“Snowtography” captures how the snowpack can vary dramatically across short distances

High and Dry

Utah’s immense Great Salt Lake has receded in recent years, revealing the microbial reefs crucial to its ecosystem.