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

The Colorado River, near Radium, Colorado. Photo by Mitch Tobin

Videos and photos: Colorado River drone flight, August 2019

This page features drone-captured footage and photos of the Colorado River, near Radium, Colorado. The imagery shows the Colorado River after it emerges from Gore Canyon, a popular whitewater rafting...

Degrees of warming: Rising temperatures, shorter winters and a declining snowpack are impacting Aspen’s...

Pitkin County is warming, the number of frost-free days is increasing and snowpack is declining—all of which have myriad impacts on life in the Aspen area.

Scientists clash over how to track the West’s vital snowpack

Supporters of airborne snow surveys dispute “hotspots” study on water forecasts

City of Aspen banks on creative thinking for ATM water project

The city of Aspen is moving ahead on a project aimed at increasing the reliability of its water supply and environmental flows through what’s known as an “alternative transfer method,” or ATM.
Integrated Water Resources Plan land photo

Aspen officials release plan laying out 50 years of water projects

Aspen’s new water resource plan outlines the strategy for creating emergency storage to address threats to existing supplies.

Troubled waters

Confronted with the specter of a New Mexico parched by climate change, some have begun to push back against a water model that focuses primarily on putting as much water to use as possible.

When the well runs dry

Nobody knows how much water New Mexico has. Finding out is the best way to ensure survival against drought and climate change.

Aurora, Colo. Springs seek to drill on lower Homestake Creek dam sites

The cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs are increasing their efforts to develop a reservoir on lower Homestake Creek in the Eagle River Basin.

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.

Tribal water talks

With growing water shortages on the Colorado River, tribal communities are demanding a bigger role in river management and access to water they legally own but have never actually...