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

Photos: Parker Dam, February 2021

This page features photos of Parker Dam, located along the Colorado River on the Arizona-California border.   Built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bureau of Reclamation, Parker Dam is...

In an arid U.S. West, water agencies look to delive​r​ purified wastewater directly to...

Western water ​experts are working to not only conserve water, but to also reuse as much wastewater as possible​,​ including ​through direct potable reuse​.​
Salton Sea photo 1

Long troubled Salton Sea may finally be getting what it most needs: action —...

The shrinking desert lake has long been a trouble spot beset by rising salinity and unhealthy dust blowing from its increasingly exposed bed.
Pistachio farm photo

Tulare County’s never-ending drought brings dried up wells and plenty of misery

In the rural towns around Visalia, drought is a perpetual plight and wells are going dry.

Floating down the San Joaquin River

The highly altered waterway still harbors stretches of wild beauty.

Can we save the San Joaquin’s salmon?

The upstream effort to restore a river and its fish.

Tour the San Joaquin River

An interactive map visualizes restoration efforts on the San Joaquin River.

Running out of water and time: How unprepared is California for 2021’s drought?

The most acute problem, experts say, is the lack of controls on groundwater pumping.

The Los Angeles River’s overlooked anglers

Unhoused Angelenos use the urban river as a source of sustenance, but a proposal to revitalize the waterway could push them out.

In the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, two groundwater sustainability agencies try to...

Agencies in two counties are pursuing different approaches to address overdraft and meet requirements of California’s groundwater law.