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

Colorado’s water users are told “use it or lose it.” But is the threat...

In December 2020, the Summit County Open Space and Trails Department bought a 15-acre property with a small pond, three ditches and a well.  Known as the Shane Gulch property,...

Carbondale Ranch, water trust launch 2nd effort to boost Crystal River flows

Cold Mountain Ranch and the Colorado Water Trust penned an agreement to improve the Crystal River’s streamflow and compensate nearby ranchers.
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.

Apache water

As the Colorado River is impacted by climate change and drought, Native American tribes are helping to find solutions. For The Water Desk, Gary Strieker reports on the Jicarilla...
The Roller Dam on the Colorado River west of Glenwood Springs.

State to host public confabs on next steps in study of Lake Powell drought...

A statewide public effort to determine whether Coloradans should engage in perhaps the biggest water conservation program in state history enters its second year of study this summer, but the complex, collaborative effort on the Colorado River has a long way to go before the state and its water users can make a go/no-go decision, officials said.
The East Troublesome Fire burn scar photo

National, local water and fire officials plan new West Slope summit

Colorado water and fire officials plan a two-day confab in Grand Junction to discuss how to protect the state’s vital mountain watersheds.

Corporate support for the river

For decades, water managers and environmentalists have worked to keep a critical stretch of the drought-stressed Colorado River healthy enough to support endangered fish. This year, they’re getting a...

‘This system cannot be sustained’

This year, tribal nations enter negotiations over Colorado River water.
Parshall Flume photo

State engineers developing measurement rules for water diversions

Colorado officials are preparing for a future with less water by developing rules for users to measure how much they're taking from streams.
Irrigation from the Crystal River photo

River District report highlights Western Slope concerns with state water-savings plan

The Colorado River Water Conservation District staff plans to present its own framework for a water-savings plan at its October board meeting.