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

The South Adams County Water and Sanitation district photo

Colorado health officials investigating contaminated PFAS plume near Denver fire training center

The Colorado health department is investigating a plume causing high levels of forever chemicals in the raw water supply of Adams County.

Rafting season ready to launch, but COVID-19 worries running high

Colorado’s virus-related restrictions are forcing commercial rafting companies to create social distance on unruly rivers and face the potential for smaller crowds.

As more sanitation districts test wastewater for COVID-19, questions remain on interpreting the data

Wastewater can inform public health departments of new variants in the community, but the data collected is still inconclusive.

Colorado water utilities race to protect workers from COVID-19 as they declare tap water...

Water utilities initiated emergency action plans, asking hundreds of employees to work from home to limit the virus’ spread and to help protect the workers needed to operate water treatment and delivery systems.

Once ‘paradise,’ parched Colorado valley grapples with arsenic in water

Decades of climate change-driven drought, combined with the overpumping of aquifers, is making the valley desperately dry — and appears to be intensifying the levels of heavy metals in drinking water.
Beach at Barr Lake, where agencies are working to remove toxic algae. May 31, 2022. Credit: Jerd Smith, Fresh Water News

Heading to the lake? Colorado trying new tools, including P-Free lawns, to combat toxic...

Colorado water officials hope to combat algae blooms caused by rising temperatures and an increased use of phosphorus-laced lawn fertilizers.

As the Salton Sea shrinks, it leaves behind a toxic reminder of the cost...

Scientists fear that eventually the toxic residue of more than a century of agricultural runoff will be blown into the air — and into the lungs of residents.

As Colorado ramps up PFAS drinking water tests, small towns brace for costly fixes

Renee Hoffman was never thrilled about the water quality at her house in Sleepy Bear Mobile Home Park on the outskirts of Steamboat Springs. “It just didn’t taste great,” she...

Concern over the “forever chemical” PFAS in water supplies is high, but remedies remain...

A synthetic chemical’s appearance in public water supply wells raises questions of how to protect the public from unknown health hazards.

Long criticized for inaction at the Salton Sea, California says it’s all-in on effort...

Dust suppression and habitat restoration are key elements in a plan to aid the Salton Sea, whose ills have been a sore point in Colorado River management.