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

Hoover Dam approaches a hydropower cliff

Some day in the next 12 months – maybe in late-August, maybe not until next spring – Lake Mead will drop below the critical threshold of 1,035 feet above...

Restoring the Colorado River Delta

In Mexico, where the Colorado River approaches the sea with barely a trickle, conservationists are working to restore the natural habitats of the river’s dry delta. Gary Strieker reports...
This photo from December 2021 shows one of the intake towers at Hoover Dam. Federal officials said basin states must conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet to protect reservoir levels in 2023. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

Race is on for Colorado River basin states to conserve before feds take action

Seven states in the West have been given until August 15th to implement new strategies and tools to conserve the Colorado River.

New Rules

As climate change and overuse reduce water supplies, the gap between “paper water” (the legal right to use water) and “actual water” (what’s available) is widening.

Milestone Colorado River management plan mostly worked amid epic drought, review finds

Draft assessment of 2007 Interim Guidelines expected to provide a guide as talks begin on new operating rules for the iconic southwestern river

Photos and videos: White River Flight, May 2021

This page features aerial imagery of the White River in northwest Colorado and northeast Utah. The White River is a tributary of the Green River, which is the Colorado River’s...

Photos: Labyrinth and Desolation Canyons along Green River

This page features photos of the Green River in Labyrinth and Desolation canyons in eastern Utah. The Green River, the main tributary of the Colorado River, flows through some of...

Colorado River faces ‘devastating consequences’ if another dry winter lands, experts warn

Even a huge snowpack during the coming winter would only give the river basin states less than two years of storage before reservoirs returned to historic lows.

$500M in new federal funds to give thousands of Coloradans freedom from lead, PFAS...

Coloradans exposed to drinking water tainted by lead or so-called “forever chemicals" will see clean water faster.

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.