As 2020 kicks in, historic Colorado River Drought Plan will get its first test
This year, the first-ever Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan is set to launch, and water officials expect 2020 to bring unprecedented changes to the way the river is run, including cutbacks in water use by some states.
Map: Explore drone, aerial and terrestrial imagery from The Water Desk
Use this interactive map to browse our expanding collection of free-to-use photos and videos captured by drones, planes and ground-based photographers.
Mobile-home residents stuck in a regulatory roundabout
It's unclear whether a new law could improve water quality in the Eagle River Village park, but legislators want to pressure owners to do more.
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.
Report: Colorado River ranch water savings hit 42 percent
Colorado’s high altitude hay meadows could be re-operated to yield more than 40 percent in water savings, according to a new report.
Stream management planning watered down by agriculture
Flow targets for the environment and recreation are lacking, according to a recent report.
Photos and videos: Paonia Reservoir, December 2020
This page features drone-captured photos and videos of Paonia Reservoir on Colorado's Western Slope.
Located 16 miles northeast of Paonia, the reservoir lies along Muddy Creek, upstream from...
Demand-management groups multiply in Colorado water fight
Several groups are studying demand management, underscoring persistent tensions between the Western Slope and Front Range water managers.
A Colorado River flows drop and tensions rise, water interests struggle to find solutions...
Experts warn that climate change has rendered old assumptions outdated about what the Colorado River can provide, leaving painful water cuts as the only way forward.
Demand management discussions continue amid worsening Colorado River crisis
The crisis on the Colorado River is not waiting for the state of Colorado to develop a program to avoid water shortages.











