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

High marks and worries on home water conservation: Is Colorado’s effort stalling?

A new analysis of residential water use by Fresh Water News shows Colorado's statewide savings from water conservation in recent years may have stalled out.
Salton Sea

California’s vanishing lake

Water conservation in California’s southern desert is causing an environmental disaster as the Salton Sea quickly shrinks. Lindsay Fendt reports. https://vimeo.com/400802260 Length: 2:04 Download script Download full resolution video

Farms use 80% of the West’s water. Some in Colorado use less, a lot...

A greenhouse in Colorado is using 95 percent less water to grow food compared to traditional agricultural practices.

Photos: Colorado River and tributaries, April 2019

This photo gallery features images shot during a road trip along the Colorado River and two of its tributaries in Colorado: the Blue River and White River. DateApril...

Desalination helps meet water shortfalls in parts of the world. Is it a viable...

State Sen. Kevin Priola traveled to Israel in 2022 and came away with an idea: If the arid country can produce drinking water by taking the salt out of...

Forest Service approves test drilling for Whitney Reservoir site

The U.S. Forest Service approved an application from the cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs for geotechnical drilling in the Homestake Valley, one of the first steps toward building a new dam and reservoir on Homestake Creek.

Photos: Rio Grande Gorge, June 2024

This page in our free multimedia library features photos of the Rio Grande Gorge, near Taos, N.M. The Rio Grande Gorge, a striking canyon of volcanic basalt up to 800...
Transmission lines march outward from Hoover Dam, delivering the dam's hydroelectric power to cities, irrigation districts, and tribes across the Southwest.

Solar growth cushions Colorado River hydropower declines

Lakes Mead and Powell, the basin’s two largest reservoirs, are approaching critical levels in which hydropower from their dams (Hoover and Glen Canyon, respectively) would be severely curtailed or altogether cease.

Photos: Colorado snow drought 2025-2026

This page in our free multimedia library features photos of the low snowpack in Colorado's Rocky Mountains during the 2025-2026 snow drought. This collection includes imagery from Colorado ski areas...

Fish out of water on the Colorado River

With drought and high temperatures putting unprecedented pressure on water users throughout Colorado, from cities to agriculture, there’s one segment that can be affected first — and maybe worst...