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

Glen Canyon Dam photo

Electric costs in Colorado set to surge as Lake Powell struggles to produce hydropower

A federal agency aims to offset rising costs linked to Lake Powell’s inability to produce as much hydropower due to drought.

Special Report: As Lake Powell hits record lows, is filling a new drought pool...

Upper Basin states that created their own drought contingency plan still haven’t agreed on the biggest, most controversial element of the plan.
The Roaring Fork River joins with the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs photo

Spring runoff forecast looks better than last two years

Colorado’s predictions for spring runoff are looking better than the past two years, but streamflows are still expected to be below normal.

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.

Can carbon credits save Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta islands and protect California’s vital water hub?

An ambitious plan would use carbon credits as incentives to convert Delta islands to wetlands or rice to halt subsidence and potentially raise island elevations.
Colorado River photo

Traveler Special Report: Grand Canyon’s Struggling River

Glen Canyon Dam, climate change and invasive plant species are threatening the Colorado River.

As the Colorado River shrinks, can the basin find an equitable solution in sharing...

Drought and climate change are raising concerns that a century-old compact that divided the river’s waters could force unwelcome cuts in use for the upper watershed.
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.

Dwindling water supply, legal questions push Colorado River into ‘wildly uncharted territory’

Time is ticking for states that share the shrinking Colorado River to negotiate a new set of governing rules. One major sticking point, which has the potential to thrust...
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.