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

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.

Cash for Grass: Colorado to pay for turf removal, boost water conservation

Colorado has a new turf replacement program that will finance residential areas to switch their yards to more water efficient landscaping.

Farms use 80% of the West’s water. Some in Colorado use less, a lot...

A greenhouse in Colorado is using 95 percent less water to grow food compared to traditional agricultural practices.

Colorado OKs drinking treated wastewater; now to convince the public it’s a good idea

Colorado joins three other states in approving a new rule that clears the way for drinking treated wastewater.

$500M in new federal funds to give thousands of Coloradans freedom from lead, PFAS...

Coloradans exposed to drinking water tainted by lead or so-called “forever chemicals" will see clean water faster.

Maybell project addresses problems for irrigators, boaters, fish

The Maybell Irrigation District and The Nature Conservancy are rehabilitating and modernizing a key headgate and diversion on the Yampa River.

Harvesting water in arid lands – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 11 – Brad Lancaster

Brad Lancaster, author and expert on water harvesting, explains how to make the most of rainfall and greywater to stretch local supplies.
Low-tech irrigation on a cattle ranch near Whitewater, Colo., June 30, 2021. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

A water strategy for the parched West: Have cities pay farmers to install more...

Robert Glennon, professor at the Univeristy of Arizona, proposes a two-pronged approach to help agriculture and the water shortage.
A lush lawn outside a home in a Thornton, Colo. subdivision photo

Turf replacement bill gains ground

Colorado could soon have a program that would pay property owners to get rid of one of the largest water uses for Western Slope water providers: grass.

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.