Photos: Vallecito Reservoir aerials, May 2024

This page in our free multimedia library features aerial photos of Vallecito Reservoir near Durango, Colorado. The reservoir is located in the San Juan Mountains...
A canal diverts water from the Colorado River to farms in Palisade, Colorado. TED WOOD

Crisis on the Colorado Part III: Running Dry– New Strategies for Conserving Water

Communities along the Colorado River are facing a new era of drought and water shortages that is threatening their future. With an official water emergency declaration now possible, farmers, ranchers, and towns are searching for ways to use less water and survive.
Center pivot irrigation photo

State water task force issues anti-profiteering report; critics say it falls short

A state group examining water speculation identified eight ideas to stop water hoarding, but failed to provide legislative recommendations.

Want to predict wildfires? The key may be underground

Recent studies demonstrate how soil moisture data can help wildfire experts predict a potential fire’s location and severity.

As temperatures rise, Arizona sinks

The combination of groundwater pumping and warmer temperatures is shrinking aquifers and lowering water tables in Arizona.
Hydrant photo

Is a hacker targeting your drinking water? COVID-19 exposes problems in Colorado, elsewhere

A cyberattack in Florida has shown that outdated water control technologies have become more exposed to hacking.

Streamflow forecast down for Roaring Fork despite above-normal snowpack

Although snowpack in the mountains near Aspen is hovering above normal for this time of year, streamflows in the Roaring Fork River are predicted to be just 85% of normal for April.
Old cottonwoods line the banks and trails of the historic Denver Highline Canal

Denver’s High Line Canal a study in using something old to solve new problem

Infrastructure built more than a century ago still endures, but some of Colorado’s old irrigation ditches have been repurposed to meet the moment. The High Line Canal—a 71-mile-long former irrigation conveyance turned greenway and stormwater filtration tool—winds its way through the Denver metro area as an artery of infrastructure boasting a story of adaptation.
Rocky Mountain National Park burn photo

Funding shortfalls, bureaucratic barriers hobble efforts to restore Colorado’s fire-scarred water systems

Funding shortfalls are hobbling efforts to clean up watersheds and protect drinking water for more than 1 million Coloradans.

‘It’s a different lake now’: As Lake Powell drops, an iconic marina chases deeper...

Titus Crawford spent four days calling Lake Powell boaters this spring. After a record low snowpack and off-the-charts March heat, the reservoir was on...