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

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.

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.
NASA researchers in Colorado San Juans photo

Just in time for the holidays, feds offer $500,000 high-tech water contest

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is offering $500,000 for a better tool to measure how much water snowflakes contain.
Yampa River photo

Steamboat looks to new program to address high river temperatures

Steamboat Springs is trying to comply with state regulations and also cool down chronically high temperatures in an impaired stretch of the Yampa River.
Yampa River photo

Tri-State, Xcel, Colorado eye Yampa River water for “green hydrogen” projects

The Yampa Valley’s existing coal-fired plants have strong water portfolios that could be used to create green hydrogen or another storage technology called molten salt.

Crop-switching in the megadrought

Farmers in Arizona are hoping that guayule, a hardy plant that produces natural rubber, can become a profitable crop requiring far less water than alfalfa, corn and cotton. Gary...

Corporate support for the river

For decades, water managers and environmentalists have worked to keep a critical stretch of the drought-stressed Colorado River healthy enough to support endangered fish. This year, they’re getting a...
Colorado distiller photo 1

Colorado distillers, builders and restaurateurs get water savvy this Earth Day

Earth Day offers a chance to highlight some Colorado projects and businesses that are moving the needle on water sustainability.

Denver investment fund raising $5M for water tech startups

The Denver-based Colorado River Basin Fund is raising $5 million to help promising new water technology companies bring their wares to market.
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