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

The westward spread of zebra and quagga mussels shows how tiny invaders can cause...

Fingernail-sized mollusks are spreading through U.S. rivers, lakes and bays, clogging water supply pipes and altering food webs.

Emergency Colorado River rescue plan likely to include more Flaming Gorge releases, payments to...

Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming may face requests for voluntary cutbacks in their use of Colorado River water next year.

Climate Change is making flooding worse: 3 reasons the world is seeing more record-breaking...

Climate change and warming temperatures are exacerbating heavy rainfall and flooding events.
Glen Canyon Dam photo

Recent drop in Lake Powell’s storage shows how much space sediment is taking up

A new study shows that sedimentation from the Colorado River means that Lake Powell's storage capacity is lower than previously believed.
Low-tech irrigation on a cattle ranch near Whitewater, Colo., June 30, 2021. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

A water strategy for the parched West: Have cities pay farmers to install more...

Robert Glennon, professor at the Univeristy of Arizona, proposes a two-pronged approach to help agriculture and the water shortage.

60 days and counting: Colorado River cutbacks achievable, experts say, as long as farm...

Colorado River Basin states have 60 days to come up with a water reduction plan.
This photo from December 2021 shows one of the intake towers at Hoover Dam. Federal officials said basin states must conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet to protect reservoir levels in 2023. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

Race is on for Colorado River basin states to conserve before feds take action

Seven states in the West have been given until August 15th to implement new strategies and tools to conserve the Colorado River.
Hoover Dam photo

Hydropower’s future is clouded by droughts, floods and climate change – it’s also essential...

As competition for water increases, the way hydropower is managed within regions and across the power grid in the U.S. will have to evolve.

Colorado River crisis giving tribes new opportunities to right century-old water wrongs

Early involvement in negotiating new Colorado River guidelines will be critical for tribes to determine their future.
Grasslands photo

Grim 2022 drought outlook for Western US offers warnings for the future as climate...

A rapidly warming climate has put the American West in a brutal drought with a hotter and thirstier atmosphere.