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

Rocky Mountain National Park burn photo

Funding shortfalls, bureaucratic barriers hobble efforts to restore Colorado’s fire-scarred water systems

Funding shortfalls are hobbling efforts to clean up watersheds and protect drinking water for more than 1 million Coloradans.

West Slope water managers ask: What authority do the feds have?

Some Colorado water managers are asking what authority the federal government has in the upper basin and which water projects could be at risk.
Homestake Creek flows from Homestake Reservoir near Red Cliff.

Reservoir-release pilot project in Colorado to test possible compact call

Front Range water providers recently released water stored in Homestake Reservoir to test how to get water downstream to the state line in the event of a Colorado River Compact call.
Crystal River photo

Facing drought and increased demands, Colorado communities eye new storage alternatives

Colorado could need 750,000 acre-feet of new water supplies by 2050 for its growing population, but how to store that water isn’t clear.

California weighs changes for new water rights permits in response to a warmer and...

As California’s seasons become warmer and drier, state officials are pondering whether the water rights permitting system needs revising.
Irrigation from the Crystal River photo

River District report highlights Western Slope concerns with state water-savings plan

The Colorado River Water Conservation District staff plans to present its own framework for a water-savings plan at its October board meeting.

Small farmers wait for California’s groundwater hammer to fall

Farmers, large and small, are beginning to grapple with what the state’s first major groundwater regulation means for them.
Colorado River photo

Traveler Special Report: Grand Canyon’s Struggling River

Glen Canyon Dam, climate change and invasive plant species are threatening the Colorado River.

Carbondale Ranch, water trust launch 2nd effort to boost Crystal River flows

Cold Mountain Ranch and the Colorado Water Trust penned an agreement to improve the Crystal River’s streamflow and compensate nearby ranchers.
South Platte River

Aurora inks $43.7 million in water deals on South Platte River

Thirsty Front Range Colorado cities continue to drive the market for South Platte River farm water with Aurora announcing two major deals to acquire farms and their water rights.