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

Photos: Stewart Mountain Dam and Saguaro Lake, June 2023

This page features aerial photos of Arizona's Stewart Mountain Dam and Saguaro Lake along the Salt River northeast of Phoenix. Stewart Mountain Dam was built from 1928 to 1930 by the Salt...

The driest year revisited: Five takeaways from 2002 for today’s Colorado River

The Colorado River basin has been here before.  This year’s historic winter of low snow might feel novel. But recent years give some insight into just how dry the West’s...

How Hudbay’s Santa Rita mining will impact Southern Arizona’s waterways

The proposed Copper World Complex mine is carving roads and berms that will impact wildlife and waterflow.

Photos: Dillon Reservoir aerials, July 2021

This page features drone-captured imagery of Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, Colorado. Created by a 231-foot-tall earth-fill dam, Dillon Reservoir contains over 250,000 acre-feet of water when at full capacity....

Video story: Navajo water (full length)

Many residents on the Navajo Reservation are now enjoying clean, running water and solar power in their homes, benefiting from DigDeep’s ambitious project to transform their daily lives with...

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...

Colorado activates municipal drought response plan as 2021 water forecast darkens

The State of Colorado has activated the municipal portion of its emergency drought plan for only the second time in history as several cities say they need to prepare for what is almost certainly going to be a dangerously dry 2021.

Hundreds of San Luis Valley farm wells at risk as state shortens deadline to...

Colorado's top water regulator is warning that a decision on whether hundreds of farm wells will be shut off to help save the Rio Grande River could come much sooner than expected.
Glen Canyon Dam photo

Electric costs in Colorado set to surge as Lake Powell struggles to produce hydropower

A federal agency aims to offset rising costs linked to Lake Powell’s inability to produce as much hydropower due to drought.