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

City Park in Denver

Even in a pandemic, drought drives water use along the Front Range

Municipal water providers saw commercial water use plummet at the beginning of the pandemic but those savings were erased once the hot summer rolled in.
Crystal River photo 1

Crystal River Wild & Scenic advocates hope to learn from the past

Residents of Colorado's Pitkin County are reviving efforts to secure a Wild & Scenic designation on the Crystal River, but it won't be easy.
Ruedi Reservoir on the Fryingpan River photo

Ruedi Reservoir at lowest level in two decades

Ruedi Reservoir on Colorado's Fryingpan River is 54% full and at its lowest level in 19 years.

Marble quarry operators violated Clean Water Act, Army Corps of Engineers finds

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that the operators of a marble quarry violated the Clean Water Act when they diverted a tributary of the Crystal River to make way for a mining road.

Gunnison River, with elevated selenium levels, faces review for reclassification

State water-quality officials will soon evaluate whether two water-improvement programs in the Gunnison River basin have successfully reduced a chemical that is toxic to endangered fish.
Elk Creek Marina photo

Blue Mesa Reservoir releases to prop up Lake Powell impacting recreation

In an effort to prop up water levels at Lake Powell, water managers are negatively impacting recreation on Colorado’s biggest man-made lake. 

Opinions differ on timeline as Crystal River Wild & Scenic efforts move ahead

Urgency to designate the Crystal River in Colorado as Wild & Scenic varies among the river's advocates.

Aspen joins water managers using new technologies to map mountain snowpack, predict streamflows

As a changing climate renders streamflow predictions less accurate, water managers are turning to new technologies for a clearer picture of what’s happening in their basin’s snowpack.

Forest Service flooded with comments opposing Whitney Reservoir, drilling

The vast majority of comments received by the agency opposed the proposed dam and reservoir in Western Colorado.

Local groups voice renewed interest in Crystal River Wild & Scenic designation

Residents of Colorado's Crystal River valley are reviving efforts to protect the upper portion of the river through a federal designation.