How low can the Colorado River go? A slow float on the 15-mile reach
On a hot and sunny morning in August, a group of nine paddlers pushed their duckies and stand-up paddle boards into the Colorado River...
Peaches pay the bills for Western Colorado farmers, but prolonged drought makes their future...
On a warm morning in Palisade, Colorado, Bruce Talbott walks through his orchards, picking and discarding peaches he knows won’t sell. With just one...
The clock is ticking for New Mexico to cut Rio Grande water use
Photos by Paul Ratje. Reporting supported by the Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder.
HATCH, N.M.—After 13 years, Texas and New Mexico have...
Colorado water officials announce creation of state-run conservation program
In the culmination of a process that has been years in the making, Colorado officials Wednesday announced the creation of a state-run water conservation...
How universities in the West justify staying green during drought
In early June, water experts gathered at the University of Colorado Boulder to talk about the future of the Colorado River.
The lifeline for 40...
As Lake Powell drops, a thriving ecosystem is emerging
“We’re entering beaver land!” Zanna Stutz yelled joyfully.
Stepping lightly over slick, wobbly mud and splashing through ankle-deep water, she approached a small dam created...
Colorado River emergency actions leave root causes of crisis unaddressed
On April 17, the federal government ordered emergency measures to prevent water levels at Lake Powell from falling so low that Glen Canyon Dam,...
The driest year revisited: Five takeaways from 2002 for today’s Colorado River
The Colorado River basin has been here before.
This year’s historic winter of low snow might feel novel. But recent years give some insight into...
A record warm winter could send Lake Powell to a historic low. Flaming Gorge...
A cream-colored band lines the orange sandstone walls that rise above the blue-green waters of Lake Powell. The so-called “bathtub rings,” these chalky layers...
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...