Video story: Cooling the Yampa river (full length)
As climate change brings warmer weather, Westerners are looking for ways to protect the region’s rivers and streams. In a special report for the Water Desk, Jerd Smith of Fresh Water News explains a strategy for safeguarding Colorado’s Yampa River.
Trees keep a record of Colorado’s Crystal River. Researchers say that story could help...
Tree rings can tell a story. Wide bands signal a wet period, while narrow ones show a drought. Whole ecosystems can be encoded in trees. In Western Colorado, scientists...
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.
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.
High marks and worries on home water conservation: Is Colorado’s effort stalling?
A new analysis of residential water use by Fresh Water News shows Colorado's statewide savings from water conservation in recent years may have stalled out.
Amid a withering drought, New Mexico leaders struggle to plan for life with less...
New Mexico faces tough choices as a dire and historic drought continues and the Rio Grande is unable to give everyone what they want or need.
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.
Demand-management groups multiply in Colorado water fight
Several groups are studying demand management, underscoring persistent tensions between the Western Slope and Front Range water managers.
Study finds small number of jobs lost under demand-management program
A recent study of a Colorado demand-management program found that the benefits would be comparable to the negative secondary impacts.
Traveler Special Report: Grand Canyon’s Struggling River
Glen Canyon Dam, climate change and invasive plant species are threatening the Colorado River.











