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

Water flux and toxic wells – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 12 – Kathy James

On this episode of Water Buffs, we examine how drought can harm human health, specifically how dramatic fluctuations in water availability can lead to increasingly toxic water supplies.

Once ‘paradise,’ parched Colorado valley grapples with arsenic in water

Decades of climate change-driven drought, combined with the overpumping of aquifers, is making the valley desperately dry — and appears to be intensifying the levels of heavy metals in drinking water.

Upper Colorado River states add muscle as decisions loom on the shrinking river’s future

Upper basin states seek added leverage to protect their river shares amid difficult talks with California and the lower basin

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.

Is the Western drought finally ending? That depends on where you look

Even a deep snowpack in the West likely won't be enough to end the drought.

Long-distance water

There’s desperation in the desert – for communities that could run out of water if the Colorado River keeps shrinking from overuse and climate change. Many are now looking...

Colorado places 9th in national water conservation ranking

A new ranking shows Colorado in ninth place nationwide for its water-saving laws and policies, and in fourth place among states in the Colorado River Basin.

A new strategy for western states to adapt to long-term drought: Customized water pricing

Rather than raising everyone’s water prices, we propose a customized approach that lets individual consumers decide whether to pay higher prices.

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Experts warn that climate change has rendered old assumptions outdated about what the Colorado River can provide, leaving painful water cuts as the only way forward.

Human actions created the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake – here’s how to save...

Irrigation practices that maintained the Salton Sea have been reduced, and excess water is being transferred to coastal cities instead.