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

Program expanding to map Colorado mountain snowpack

Front Range water providers hope to expand a program that uses a new technology they say will revolutionize water management in Colorado.

Small farmers wait for California’s groundwater hammer to fall

Farmers, large and small, are beginning to grapple with what the state’s first major groundwater regulation means for them.
Boaters at Cedar Springs Marina photo

A “gut punch” as water rushes from Flaming Gorge to save Lake Powell’s hydropower...

The drought hit crisis proportions this summer, pushing lakes Powell and Mead to historic lows and triggering emergency releases.

Human emissions are helping fuel the Southwest’s epic drought

Three studies of the Pacific Ocean conclude that lower precipitation isn’t just due to natural causes

Photos: Snowpack in San Juan Mountains, May 2023

This page in our free multimedia library features aerial photos of the snowpack in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. The San Juans are mostly located in southwest Colorado...

Saving a river

In the arid Southwest, where water scarcity often divides competing interests, an innovative approach could become the model for future cooperation. Brad Hicks shows you how a river is being...

Photos and videos: Navajo Lake and San Juan River, April 2021

This page features drone-captured videos and images of Navajo Lake, a reservoir that impounds the San Juan River in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Completed in 1962, Navajo...

High and Dry

Utah’s immense Great Salt Lake has receded in recent years, revealing the microbial reefs crucial to its ecosystem.
Yampa River at Hayden

Water released from Elkhead Reservoir lifts call on Yampa River

The second-ever call on the Yampa River was lifted after water providers announced an Elkhead Reservoir water release to support irrigators and endangered fish.
Ella Ditch photo

River District looks for natural solutions to Crystal River water shortage

Officials say a solution to the water shortage on the Crystal River will probably include natural fixes before a dam and reservoir.