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

The Colorado River delta in Baja California is a mosaic of old river channels, tidal salt flats, and runoff from agricultural fields to the north. PHOTO BY TED WOOD

Crisis on the Colorado Part V: Bringing New Life to a Stressed River

The Colorado River has been dammed, diverted, and slowed by reservoirs, strangling the life out of a once-thriving ecosystem. But in the U.S. and Mexico, efforts are underway to revive sections of the river and restore vital riparian habitat for native plants, fish, and wildlife.
Sunrise at Lake Powell. Photo: Adobe Stock

Colorado River drought study advances as participants call for fairness between cities, ranches

Can Colorado find a fair way to set aside as much as 500,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Powell to protect the state from future drought?

Courtroom battle could lead to limits on fluoridation of drinking water

A trial underway in San Francisco could spell the beginning of the end of water fluoridation in America, potentially affecting drinking water for hundreds of millions of people.

The Colorado River is awash in data vital to its management, but making sense...

A major science report that highlights scientific shortcomings and opportunities in the Basin could aid water managers as they rewrite the river's operating rules.
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

Despite blizzard, Colorado’s critical mountain snowpack shrinks

Colorado remains mired in drought, with nearly half classified as being extremely or exceptionally dry, the most dangerous categories.
River kayaking photo

Conservation groups want recreation water right tied to natural river features

Three conservation groups in Colorado are working on a revision to a state law that would allow natural river features to get a water right.
Windy Gap Reservoir photo

Jackpot: Colorado stimulus funds boost water grants to $13M

Environment and recreation projects represented the largest slice of the pie at $6.6 million.
Gov. Jared Polis on announces Water ’22 photo

State water education campaign focuses on individual actions

At the meeting of the Colorado Water Congress, Gov. Jared Polis unveiled a statewide initiative to educate Coloradans on water conservation.
Golf course photo

At Peak of Its Wealth and Influence, Arizona’s Desert Civilization Confronts A Reckoning Over...

Arizona’s powerful will to grow is challenged by extreme heat, deep drought, and serious water-related stress.