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

Photos: Salt River, Arizona, 2021 and 2023

This page features aerial photos of Arizona's Salt River, including its confluence with the Verde River. Both the Salt and Verde are tributaries of the Gila River and part of the Colorado...

As the West’s scant snowpack melts, Coloradans brace for a lean water year

Call it the winter that wasn’t. Throughout Colorado a record-warm and dry winter has come to a close. Attention now pivots to spring and the potential for additional snow to...

Cutting back on irrigation

In a pilot project in Colorado, farmers are reducing irrigation on their hay fields and monitoring the results, to learn if they can send more water down the Colorado...

Wolf Creek reservoir project secures River District grant

The Colorado River Water Conservation District approved a request to partially fund the permitting costs for a dam and reservoir project in northwest Colorado.

Colorado water users, environmentalists brace for changes as EPA, Supreme Court weigh wetland rules

The Supreme Court is reevaluating the Clean Water Act's standards for wetland protection, which could affect the health of Colorado waterways.

Special Report: Climate change is sapping Colorado’s water supplies. Can its hallmark water law...

Colorado’s “first-in-time, first-in-right” prior appropriation doctrine is coming under increasing scrutiny as rivers and reservoirs dry out.
Pistachio farm photo

Tulare County’s never-ending drought brings dried up wells and plenty of misery

In the rural towns around Visalia, drought is a perpetual plight and wells are going dry.
A canal diverts water from the Colorado River to farms in Palisade, Colorado. TED WOOD

Crisis on the Colorado Part III: Running Dry– New Strategies for Conserving Water

Communities along the Colorado River are facing a new era of drought and water shortages that is threatening their future. With an official water emergency declaration now possible, farmers, ranchers, and towns are searching for ways to use less water and survive.
Wildlife biologist photo

Kremmling bird count studies how birds use irrigated agriculture

As Colorado grapples with a demand-management program, there could be unintended consequences for animals that use irrigated agriculture for habitat.

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.