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

Colorado River farm fallowing pilot moves forward, with approvals slated for next month

Farmers and ranchers in Colorado have submitted proposals to help restore the Colorado River, but the impacts remain uncertain.
Maroon Bells Snowpack

Melting away in a hot drought

The snowpack that 40 million people rely on for water was supposed to provide a bounty this year. Instead, much of it melted away fast and early — part of a long-term trend associated with climate change.
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.

New era? Western cities using wetland parks, stormwater capture and mobile wastewater collection

Western cities are using new tactics to address shrinking water supplies due to drought and population growth.

Two new Colorado River deals give parched Lake Powell temporary relief

Lake Powell will receive 1 million acre-feet of water from the Colorado River as a short-term solution to drought, boosting lake levels and protecting hydropower production.

Vague and voluntary proposals may do little to help Colorado River

Seven municipal water providers in the West create a five-point plan to conserve water, but some say it's not enough.

What Arizona and other drought-ridden states can learn from Israel’s pioneering water strategy

Around the world, water engineering projects have caused large-scale ecological damage that governments now are spending heavily to repair.

Data viz: explore our interactive dashboards for drought, precipitation and snowpack

These maps and visualizations let you interact with vital data on our water supply.
Homestake Creek flows from Homestake Reservoir near Red Cliff.

Reservoir-release pilot project in Colorado to test possible compact call

Front Range water providers recently released water stored in Homestake Reservoir to test how to get water downstream to the state line in the event of a Colorado River Compact call.
Parshall Flume photo

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.