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

Desalination helps meet water shortfalls in parts of the world. Is it a viable...

State Sen. Kevin Priola traveled to Israel in 2022 and came away with an idea: If the arid country can produce drinking water by taking the salt out of...

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...

Cities in the West are booming in population. Will they need a lot more...

When researcher Brian Richter set out to take a close look at how big cities in the Western U.S. were adapting to water scarcity, he already knew the story’s...

Water flux and toxic wells – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 12 – Kathy James

On this episode of Water Buffs, we examine how drought can harm human health, specifically how dramatic fluctuations in water availability can lead to increasingly toxic water supplies.

A Mexican water expert on what Arizona can learn from Hermosillo

As severe water scarcity becomes an increasingly real and dire prospect for Arizona, looking south to Sonora offers important insight.

Renegade rancher

40 million people rely on the Colorado River system for water and power. But after 20 years of drought, the river basin is running low. For the Water Desk,...

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

Amid a withering drought, New Mexico leaders struggle to plan for life with less...

New Mexico faces tough choices as a dire and historic drought continues and the Rio Grande is unable to give everyone what they want or need.

It’s all white: Colorado statewide snowpack tops 140%, though reservoirs still low

Drought in the West persists, but the increase in snowpack will likely allow for a significant recovery in reservoirs and soil moisture.

Crop in the crosshairs

The federal government is trying to save the water supply for 40 million Americans. It has released three possible plans to protect the Colorado River Basin, which is facing...