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

Elk Creek Marina photo

Blue Mesa Reservoir releases to prop up Lake Powell impacting recreation

In an effort to prop up water levels at Lake Powell, water managers are negatively impacting recreation on Colorado’s biggest man-made lake. 
Some of the snowmelt flowing in the Blue River as it joins the Colorado River photo

State officials gear up for “difficult conversations” on the Colorado River

The seven U.S. states that share Colorado River water will soon renegotiate water management guidelines.

Photos: Salton Sea aerials, October 2018

This page features aerial imagery of the Salton Sea in Southern California. The Salton Sea is a shallow, highly saline lake bordering southern California’s Imperial County. The lake was created...

Public: New Colorado Water Plan needs more urgency and accountability

Coloradans want the state’s top water road map to be more equitable, but finalizing plans has been difficult.

An illustrated glossary of snow-related terms

Learn the lingo of the cryosphere
A man dives into a clear mountain lake from a rocky cliff. The lake is ringed with pine trees.

In “Water Bodies,” Western writers tap into intimate connections to their local waterways

In the arid West, water verbs are often bureaucratic. Rivers, streams and lakes are allocated, decreed, diverted, divided and used. Droplets are distributed to serve human needs. Scarcity drives...

Photos and videos: Westwater, Utah, September 2022

This page features drone-captured photos and video of Westwater, a small Navajo community next to Blanding, Utah, that recently got electricity and is still waiting for running water. Water...

White River call ‘significant’ for water users

The Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District placed a call for its water rights, which could potentially alter the system for other water users.
San Diego has shored up its water supplies by upgrading the All-American Canal, which takes Colorado River water to California's Imperial Valley. TED WOOD

A quiet revolution: Southwest cities learn to thrive amid drought

Southwestern U.S. cities have embraced innovative strategies for conserving and sourcing water in a changing climate.