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

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.
A welcome sign in Price reminds residents to save water, Sept. 30, 2025. Consistent messaging is likely one of the reasons Carbon County has become a leading county for conservation in Utah.

Utah has county-by-county water goals. Which ones are hitting them?

One size fits all. That’s great for hats in the Zion National Park gift shop but not for water conservation goals. So at the start of this decade — and...

Urban Water Conservation Success in the Colorado River Basin

In the past few decades, cities in Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada have vastly increased their water use efficiency. They’ve also learned lessons that can inform other cities’ efforts.

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...

Water trouble in Rio Verde Foothills

An Arizona community may be ground zero for climate change in America. The Colorado River basin is in crisis — its reservoirs are running dry. Brad Hicks shows you...
Ute Water Assistant Manager Greg Williams shows a map where the domestic water provider plans to build Buzzard Creek Reservoir and Owens Creek Reservoir. Cities, conservancy districts, energy companies and private citizens have conditional water rights to build 99 new reservoirs over 5,000 acre-feet on the Western Slope. Photo by William Woody

Colorado has big dreams to use more water from the Colorado River. But will...

The site where Ute Water plans to build Owens Creek Reservoir at 8,200 feet on the Grand Mesa was snow covered by mid-November. The Western Slope’s largest domestic water...

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Experts warn that climate change has rendered old assumptions outdated about what the Colorado River can provide, leaving painful water cuts as the only way forward.

Two pumped water storage projects move forward in Colorado

Two proposed pumped water storage projects that could expand Colorado’s ability to store renewable energy are moving forward.

The Colorado River Is Dying. Can Its Aquatic Dinosaurs Be Saved?

The razorback sucker has survived in the river for more than 3 million years. Climate change could end that.

Cash for Grass: Colorado to pay for turf removal, boost water conservation

Colorado has a new turf replacement program that will finance residential areas to switch their yards to more water efficient landscaping.