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

Less federal pressure, worsening drought, and more interstate tension loom over Colorado River talks

The Colorado River Basin is in crisis.  Climate change is reducing its flow and its biggest reservoirs are shrinking. The seven U.S. states that use the river are negotiating cutbacks...

Climate change makes snowmaking a necessity, not a backup, for the West’s ski resorts

As guests ski and ride down Schoomarm, a stretch of beginner-friendly terrain at Keystone Resort in Colorado, they are treated to views of Dillon Reservoir nearly the whole way...

Once ‘paradise,’ parched Colorado valley grapples with arsenic in water

Decades of climate change-driven drought, combined with the overpumping of aquifers, is making the valley desperately dry — and appears to be intensifying the levels of heavy metals in drinking water.

Utah’s Suicide Pact With the Fossil Fuel Industry

The state’s fixation on oil and gas development threatens the Colorado River watershed.

Long-distance water

There’s desperation in the desert – for communities that could run out of water if the Colorado River keeps shrinking from overuse and climate change. Many are now looking...

Farms use 80% of the West’s water. Some in Colorado use less, a lot...

A greenhouse in Colorado is using 95 percent less water to grow food compared to traditional agricultural practices.
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.

Once a rich desert river, the Gila struggles to keep flowing

Population growth, agricultural withdrawals and climate change have badly diminished the river and threaten its future.

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.