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

Construction workers build a single family home in Castle Rock. The community needs new surface water supplies to reduce its reliance on non-renewable groundwater. Credit: Jerd Smith

Douglas County says no to developers’ San Luis Valley water export proposal

Douglas County will not use COVID-relief funding to help finance a controversial $400 million-plus proposal to export farm water from the San Luis Valley to their fast-growing, water-short region.

Judge dismisses several water uses in White River reservoir case

A water court judge has agreed with state engineers and dismissed several of a water conservancy district’s claims for water for a dam and reservoir project in northwest Colorado.

Anger and disappointment as Yampa River ranchers ordered to measure water

Hundreds of ranchers in the Yampa Valley have ignored a state request to begin measuring the water they use, putting them on a collision course with regulators if they don’t relent.

Photos: Central Arizona Project

This page features photos of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal, a cornerstone of Arizona's water supply. Created in 1968 by the Colorado River Basin Project Act, the CAP is...

Tip sheet: monitoring the West’s snowpack

What’s the current state of the snowpack? How have conditions changed over the season?

Farmers use the majority of Colorado’s water. Shouldn’t they bear the burden of future...

You’ve heard the news: Farmers and ranchers use roughly 80% of the water in Colorado and much of the American West. So doesn’t it make sense that if growers and...

Photos and videos: Rio Grande Gorge, August 2022

This page features ground-based and drone-captured images and videos of the Rio Grande Gorge, near Taos, N.M. The Rio Grande Gorge is a striking canyon up to 800 feet deep...

Can we save the San Joaquin’s salmon?

The upstream effort to restore a river and its fish.

Photos and videos: Twin Lakes, Colorado, March 2021

This page features drone-captured photos and videos of Twin Lakes in central Colorado. The Twin Lakes are alpine lakes near the headwaters of the Arkansas River that were carved by...

A treasure hunt for wild springs in Arizona’s desert 

In Arizona, finding water in the wilderness means discovering a source of life.