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

Homestake Reservoir photo 1

Homestake Reservoir release proves tricky to track

Front Range water providers released water downstream to test how to get it to the state line in the event of a Colorado River Compact call.

The delicate dance of Dillon Reservoir during spring runoff

Managing how water moves from one side of the Continental Divide to the other requires cautious timing and accurate forecasting.

State officials draft bill on stream restoration

Colorado officials have drafted a bill aimed at addressing a tension between stream restoration projects and water rights holders.
Sprinkler gif

Just 53% of Colorado cities use permanent watering restrictions, despite proven savings

Despite a drought and below-normal reservoir levels, communities remain split on permanent outdoor watering restrictions.

Drone videos and photos: Goosenecks of the San Juan River, December 2019

This page features drone footage and still imagery of the Goosenecks of the San Juan River as well as the area around Mexican Hat, Utah and Kayenta, Arizona. The...

Study: Colorado’s water still affordable, but that may change as COVID-19 stresses utilities

Western states are still able to provide relatively affordable water, but that could change as utilities try to recoup losses associated with the pandemic and begin to pay for the massive repairs and upgrades to their systems that were on the drawing board before COVID-19 struck.

Recreation groups ask for more inclusion in state Water Plan

Colorado’s river recreation community is asking for more recognition in the update to the state’s Water Plan.
Elk Creek Marina photo

Blue Mesa Reservoir releases to prop up Lake Powell impacting recreation

In an effort to prop up water levels at Lake Powell, water managers are negatively impacting recreation on Colorado’s biggest man-made lake. 

Colorado official says demand management program holds water

At the heart of a potential program is a reduction in water use in an attempt to send up to 500,000 acre-feet downstream to Lake Powell to bolster thereservoir and meet 1922 Colorado River Compact obligations.

Aerial photos and videos: Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, July 2020

This page features images and footage shot with a GoPro camera during a pilot-only Lighthawk flight above Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, along the Colorado River near Las Vegas,...