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

State officials draft bill on stream restoration

Colorado officials have drafted a bill aimed at addressing a tension between stream restoration projects and water rights holders.
Liza Mitchell, a natural resource planner and ecologist with Pitkin County, shows off the recent work on a restoration project at a fen on North Star Nature Preserve, on Aug. 26. This fiber mat is plugging an old ditch that drained water from the wetland to the Roaring Fork River.

Pitkin County launches project to restore ancient wetland at North Star Preserve near Aspen

A fen-restoration project aims to enhance the wetland’s ability to provide habitat, store and filter groundwater, and sequester carbon.

Crystal River restoration finding its footing in Carbondale park

Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Conservancy are finalizing funding to restore a half-mile stretch of the Crystal River and 18 acres of riparian habitat.

West Slope water managers ask: What authority do the feds have?

Some Colorado water managers are asking what authority the federal government has in the upper basin and which water projects could be at risk.

Colorado River states bought time with a 3-year water conservation deal – now they...

The May 2023 deal staves off an immediate water crisis but does not solve long-term problems in the Colorado River Basin.

Voters overwhelmingly pass Colorado River District tax hike

Western Slope voters have overwhelmingly passed a proposal by the Colorado River Water Conservation District to raise property taxes across its 15-county region.

Cutting Back

In Diamond Valley, Nevada, farmers are looking to protect their future — and testing the limits of the state’s water laws.

Rancher grapples with abandonment listing

The Fetcher Ranch, like many in Colorado, is struggling with an abandonment policy that may strip water rights from the land.

Which wetlands should receive federal protection? The Supreme Court revisits a question it has...

A wetland protection case being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court will determine which bodies of water can be federally regulated.

State demand-management investigation moves ahead

Water managers and experts from across Colorado are investigating the feasibility of a voluntary, temporary and compensated water-use-reduction program.