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

Little Bear Ranch photo

Water planners pray for snow as 2022 forecast shows dry weather ahead

Colorado’s water forecast, already strained by back-to-back drought years, is unlikely to brighten this fall and winter.

California weighs changes for new water rights permits in response to a warmer and...

As California’s seasons become warmer and drier, state officials are pondering whether the water rights permitting system needs revising.
Boaters float the Yampa River in northwest Colorado photo

Stream management planning watered down by agriculture

Flow targets for the environment and recreation are lacking, according to a recent report.

Humans are great at giving real problems the side-eye

Two new books provide insights into the willful ignorance that lead to the West’s water woes.
Old cottonwoods line the banks and trails of the historic Denver Highline Canal

Denver’s High Line Canal a study in using something old to solve new problem

Infrastructure built more than a century ago still endures, but some of Colorado’s old irrigation ditches have been repurposed to meet the moment. The High Line Canal—a 71-mile-long former irrigation conveyance turned greenway and stormwater filtration tool—winds its way through the Denver metro area as an artery of infrastructure boasting a story of adaptation.
Maroon Bells Snowpack

Melting away in a hot drought

The snowpack that 40 million people rely on for water was supposed to provide a bounty this year. Instead, much of it melted away fast and early — part of a long-term trend associated with climate change.

Special Report: Colorado, New Mexico struggle to save the blistered Rio Grande, with lessons...

Cities in New Mexico and Colorado are juggling water scarcity concerns over the Rio Grande.

Gunnison River water agencies win $340,000 in federal drought grants, launch contingency planning

The Bureau of Reclamation gives funding through its WaterSMART program to five Western states to help combat drought and infrastructure issues.
Low water levels Aug. 18 at Dillon Reservoir expose sand rings around the lake's islands.

Dillon Reservoir water levels hold on despite statewide drought

Amid one of the hottest summers on record for Colorado, Dillon Reservoir is 94% full, nearly 5 feet below its capacity. This level of drought has been manageable this year for Denver Water partly because of the 2018-19 winter.
Grand County rancher collects hay samples

These hay fields may know something we don’t: how to save the Colorado River

A $1 million science experiment on Colorado hay fields is backed by powerful water groups, farm interests, and environmentalists.