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

Colorado Water Plan turns five: Is it working?

Drought, growth, climate change, budget cuts, wildfires and competing demands for water are among the challenges facing the Colorado Water Plan.

Some good news on funding for water: Sports betting tax revenue gaining strength

Coloradans legally bet more than $1.1 billion on sports in 2020, exceeding expectations and funneling some cash to the Colorado Water Plan sooner than anticipated.

Anti-speculation working group digs in, as concern over profiteering continues

An 18-member work group charged with exploring ways to strengthen Colorado’s anti-speculation water laws is getting down to business.

As pandemic hammers its finances, Vail pulls out of state cloud seeding program

Vail Resorts Inc., one of the largest financial contributors to Colorado’s cloud seeding program, has dropped out this year, leaving a major hole in the program’s budget.
Big beaches are growing, and stabilizing, along the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon just above Lake Powell, like this one captured in early October. A recent study on the secondary economic impacts of a water-use-reduction program intended to deliver more water to Lake Powell found some jobs could be lost across western Colorado.

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.
Solar water heaters on roof

Why aren’t solar water heaters more popular in the U.S., even in solar-friendly states...

Despite widespread global success and huge opportunity for reducing fossil fuel demand, solar water heating is virtually unheard of in the U.S.
Western Slope Colorado River

Water conservation payments to Colorado ranchers could top $120M; is it enough?

A new economic study suggests that a wide-scale water conservation program in Colorado could cost more than $120 million.
Roaring Fork headwaters

Pitkin County’s opposition to tax follows pattern of ‘misalignment’ with River District

Pitkin County’s opposition to a River District tax increase is just the latest in the historically antagonistic relationship between the two entities.

Restoration, infrastructure and the economic value of rivers – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 4...

We discuss a recent American Rivers report that examines the economic value of rivers and our nation’s crumbling water infrastructure. The report calls on Congress to invest $500 billion over 10 years in water infrastructure and river restoration.
Old cottonwoods line the banks and trails of the historic Denver Highline Canal

Denver’s High Line Canal a study in using something old to solve new problem

Infrastructure built more than a century ago still endures, but some of Colorado’s old irrigation ditches have been repurposed to meet the moment. The High Line Canal—a 71-mile-long former irrigation conveyance turned greenway and stormwater filtration tool—winds its way through the Denver metro area as an artery of infrastructure boasting a story of adaptation.