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

Drought at Little Bear Ranch photo

Back-to-back droughts choke Western Colorado as winter forecast darkens

A repeat of dry conditions in 2021 is making Colorado’s continuing drought across swaths of the state’s Western Slope even more devastating.

Scarcity the theme of Colorado River conference

Water scarcity underscored this year’s Colorado River Water Users Association conference.
Aerial Snowborne Observatories flight photo

Counting every drop: Colorado approves $1.9M for high-tech snow, water measuring program

Colorado has approved a $1.9 million snow measuring initiative that will help forecast how much water mountain snowpack will likely generate.

Advocacy and science work together to improve water quality in Coal Creek

Two non-profit groups in Crested Butte work to clean up waters still polluted from the Keystone and Standard mines.

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.

Upper Colorado River states add muscle as decisions loom on the shrinking river’s future

Upper basin states seek added leverage to protect their river shares amid difficult talks with California and the lower basin

Why don’t we just fix the Colorado River crisis by piping in water from...

The Colorado River is a lifeline for about 40 million people across the Southwest. It supplies major cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Denver and a multibillion-dollar agriculture industry...

Photos: Colorado River and tributaries, April 2019

This photo gallery features images shot during a road trip along the Colorado River and two of its tributaries in Colorado: the Blue River and White River. DateApril...
lake mead photo

Can a grand vision or incremental change solve the Colorado River's challenges?

With talks looming on a new operating agreement for the river, a debate has emerged over the best approach to address its challenges.

Study: Colorado’s water still affordable, but that may change as COVID-19 stresses utilities

Western states are still able to provide relatively affordable water, but that could change as utilities try to recoup losses associated with the pandemic and begin to pay for the massive repairs and upgrades to their systems that were on the drawing board before COVID-19 struck.