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

Feds, 4 Colorado River states unveil draft drought operations plan as 2022 forecast shift

The Bureau of Reclamation and the Upper Basin states have drawn up a proposed framework to create plans to maintain Lake Powell water levels.
Crystal River rancher Bill Fales stands at the headgate for the Helms Ditch photo

Crystal River rancher, Water Trust again try to boost flows

A Crystal River Valley rancher and a nonprofit organization are teaming up for the second time to leave more water in a parched stream.

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...

The Los Angeles River’s overlooked anglers

Unhoused Angelenos use the urban river as a source of sustenance, but a proposal to revitalize the waterway could push them out.

Water trouble in Rio Verde Foothills

An Arizona community may be ground zero for climate change in America. The Colorado River basin is in crisis — its reservoirs are running dry. Brad Hicks shows you...

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...
Big beaches are growing, and stabilizing, along the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon just above Lake Powell, like this one captured in early October. A recent study on the secondary economic impacts of a water-use-reduction program intended to deliver more water to Lake Powell found some jobs could be lost across western Colorado.

Study finds small number of jobs lost under demand-management program

A recent study of a Colorado demand-management program found that the benefits would be comparable to the negative secondary impacts.

Major South Platte River basin project would maximize reuse of Western Slope water, report...

A multibillion-dollar reservoir and pipeline project may one day pull more than 50,000 acre-feet of water per year from the South Platte River.

Gunnison River, with elevated selenium levels, faces review for reclassification

State water-quality officials will soon evaluate whether two water-improvement programs in the Gunnison River basin have successfully reduced a chemical that is toxic to endangered fish.

Photos: Lees Ferry and Navajo Bridge, Arizona, December 2019

This page features photos of the Colorado River and Paria River at Lees Ferry, as well as nearby Navajo Bridge and Marble Canyon in Northern Arizona. Lees Ferry marks the...