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

Colorado squeezing water from urban landscapes

Pace of transition has accelerated, deepened and broadened
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.

A centuries-old system determines who gets water first and last

In response to the ongoing drought, Colorado has offered to pay ranchers to leave their water right in the river when levels sink to critically low levels.

‘This system cannot be sustained’

This year, tribal nations enter negotiations over Colorado River water.
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.
Golf course photo

At Peak of Its Wealth and Influence, Arizona’s Desert Civilization Confronts A Reckoning Over...

Arizona’s powerful will to grow is challenged by extreme heat, deep drought, and serious water-related stress.
Windy Gap Reservoir photo

Jackpot: Colorado stimulus funds boost water grants to $13M

Environment and recreation projects represented the largest slice of the pie at $6.6 million.

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...

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 remind boaters zooming across the...

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...