The Supreme Court shrunk clean water protections in the West. Colorado and New Mexico...
In dry, western Colorado, near the town of Glade Park, a high-elevation meadow is surrounded by aspens and firs. The grass is surprisingly bright green. That’s a clue, said...
The clock is ticking for New Mexico to cut Rio Grande water use
Photos by Paul Ratje. Reporting supported by the Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder.
HATCH, N.M.—After 13 years, Texas and New Mexico have finally reached a settlement in...
Forget Western water war: local managers choose partnership
Collaboration keeps water flowing
Colorado water officials announce creation of state-run conservation program
In the culmination of a process that has been years in the making, Colorado officials Wednesday announced the creation of a state-run water conservation program.
In what officials are calling...
Fish out of water on the Colorado River
With drought and high temperatures putting unprecedented pressure on water users throughout Colorado, from cities to agriculture, there’s one segment that can be affected first — and maybe worst...
A record warm winter could send Lake Powell to a historic low. Flaming Gorge...
A cream-colored band lines the orange sandstone walls that rise above the blue-green waters of Lake Powell. The so-called “bathtub rings,” these chalky layers remind boaters zooming across the...
Potable water needs in southeastern Colorado persist despite Trump veto
For the last two years, Robin Daigle has had to boil her tap water before pouring it in ice cube trays.
She boils tap water if she needs it to...
Colorado River crisis fails to force deal from states
Dry conditions and federal deadlines not working like in the past
Less federal pressure, worsening drought, and more interstate tension loom over Colorado River talks
The Colorado River Basin is in crisis.
Climate change is reducing its flow and its biggest reservoirs are shrinking. The seven U.S. states that use the river are negotiating cutbacks...
How New Mexico learned to love its ephemeral waters
In 2004, Michael and Chantell Sackett purchased a plot of land near Priest Lake, Idaho, in the picturesque northern reaches of the state’s panhandle. On one side of their...