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

Photos and videos: Hanging Flume and Dolores River

This page features photos and drone videos of the Hanging Flume above the Dolores River in southwest Colorado. Built from around 1888 to 1891 (sources vary), the flume transported...
The Roaring Fork River seen here on May 24 near the Catherine Store Bridge in Carbondale. Downstream at Glenwood Springs, the river peaked for the season on May 20, early and outside the window of what’s considered normal. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

Early peak runoff for Western Slope rivers

Snowpack in Colorado is melting earlier than expected due to an increase in dust storm severity.

Anger and disappointment as Yampa River ranchers ordered to measure water

Hundreds of ranchers in the Yampa Valley have ignored a state request to begin measuring the water they use, putting them on a collision course with regulators if they don’t relent.

Calls grow for statewide water conservation standards; some cities skeptical

With a warming climate continuing to rob streams and rivers of their flows, talk in Colorado has resumed about how to limit growing water demand for residential use.

As water prices soar, Colorado lawmakers consider rules to stop profiteering

Colorado's legislature has authorized a study of the state's anti-speculation laws

Opinions differ on timeline as Crystal River Wild & Scenic efforts move ahead

Urgency to designate the Crystal River in Colorado as Wild & Scenic varies among the river's advocates.
Colorado River photo

Glenwood Springs secures water right for whitewater parks

Glenwood Springs has secured a conditional water right for three whitewater parks on the Colorado River after a long fought court battle.

Colorado has unique protections for river recreation, but do they have enough legal muscle?

David Hajoglou sat on the rocks next to a rushing stretch of river in Golden, Colorado. As he scouted a kayak route through the riffles and waves, he thought...

A Colorado River flows drop and tensions rise, water interests struggle to find solutions...

Experts warn that climate change has rendered old assumptions outdated about what the Colorado River can provide, leaving painful water cuts as the only way forward.

Wyoming’s crowded Lonesome Lake tops EPA’s national survey for fecal contamination

LONESOME LAKE, WYOMING—Whit Coleman belly flopped with style into some of Wyoming’s most famous alpine waters on a summer day. Out on a father-son backpacking trip with friends, the Salt...