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

‘This system cannot be sustained’

This year, tribal nations enter negotiations over Colorado River water.

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.

Supreme Court rules the US is not required to ensure access to water for...

The Navajo quest for a clear determination of their water rights is rooted in America’s history of removing Native Americans from their lands and moving them to areas with fewer resources.

Navajo water

Many residents on the Navajo Reservation are now enjoying clean, running water and solar power in their homes, benefiting from DigDeep’s ambitious project to transform their daily lives with...

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.

Water Connections

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

The Southwest monsoon season is changing, forcing ranchers and Indigenous farmers to adapt

Changing storms in the Southwest are altering timeless food traditions as researchers grapple with how to study the monsoon’s erratic nature.

Paddling the Green River to report on Western water issues – Water Buffs Podcast...

Journalist Heather Hansman floated the Green River to explore water issues in the American West, then wrote a fascinating book about her journey.
Picuris Pueblo Governor Craig Quanchello photo

Against the flow

Picuris Pueblo says its water has been stolen and shunted over a mountain to the Mora Valley — where irrigators claim rights to it, too.