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

Scientists Warned of a Salton Sea Disaster. No One Listened.

California’s Salton Sea offers a tableau of dead wildlife, toxic dust, and neglect. It was long in the making.

Crop in the crosshairs

The federal government is trying to save the water supply for 40 million Americans. It has released three possible plans to protect the Colorado River Basin, which is facing...

Long-distance water

There’s desperation in the desert – for communities that could run out of water if the Colorado River keeps shrinking from overuse and climate change. Many are now looking...

High stakes standoff

A high stakes standoff is playing out over how to save the Colorado River. And with the biggest man-made reservoir in America — Lake Mead — running dry, time...

Human actions created the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake – here’s how to save...

Irrigation practices that maintained the Salton Sea have been reduced, and excess water is being transferred to coastal cities instead.

Deadline passed

The seven states failed to meet a federal deadline of February 1st to agree on a plan to use less water from the Colorado River. Brad Hicks of the...

Atmospheric rivers over California’s wildfire burn scars raise fears of deadly mudslides – this...

One natural disaster often leads to another and in California these consecutive events are leading to human disasters.
San Diego has shored up its water supplies by upgrading the All-American Canal, which takes Colorado River water to California's Imperial Valley. TED WOOD

A quiet revolution: Southwest cities learn to thrive amid drought

Southwestern U.S. cities have embraced innovative strategies for conserving and sourcing water in a changing climate.

Photos: Senator Wash and Squaw Lake, February 2021

This page features photos of Senator Wash Reservoir and Squaw Lake along the Lower Colorado River. Located just above Imperial Dam on the California/Arizona border, both Senator Wash and Squaw...

As drought shrinks the Colorado River, a Southern California giant seeks help from river...

Metropolitan Water District's water recycling proposal builds momentum amid increasingly dry conditions.