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

Tour the San Joaquin River

An interactive map visualizes restoration efforts on the San Joaquin River.

A century of federal indifference left generations of Navajo homes without running water

A new pipeline will provide running water to some of the 30 to 40% of Navajo Nation residents who still live without it in their homes.
Navajo Water photo 1

As water reaches eastern Navajo communities, it brings possibilities and homecomings

The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project, under construction in New Mexico, is testing approaches for improving access to running water.

The Los Angeles River’s overlooked anglers

Unhoused Angelenos use the urban river as a source of sustenance, but a proposal to revitalize the waterway could push them out.
Madeline Ryder planting mesquite in an in-ground rainwater harvesting basin in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona. Source: Watershed Management Group

Millions of Americans lack access to running water. An ancient method of capturing rainwater...

Advocates say rainwater harvesting is a key component to improving water access and countering climate change

Water Connections

Where groundwater gives way to warm springs, a fight continues over building a new desert town outside Las Vegas.

New Rules

As climate change and overuse reduce water supplies, the gap between “paper water” (the legal right to use water) and “actual water” (what’s available) is widening.

Cutting Back

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

Who in the U.S. is in ‘plumbing poverty’? Mostly urban residents, study says

At least 1.1 million people in the United States do not have hot and cold running water in their house and a shower or tub for bathing.

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.