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

The water war in Indian Wells Valley

California pistachio farmers are facing off against the U.S. Navy over water rights. The outcome could shape future legal fights as climate change upends the status quo.

Floating down the San Joaquin River

The highly altered waterway still harbors stretches of wild beauty.

Restoring the Colorado River Delta

In Mexico, where the Colorado River approaches the sea with barely a trickle, conservationists are working to restore the natural habitats of the river’s dry delta. Gary Strieker reports...
Navajo Water photo 1

As water reaches eastern Navajo communities, it brings possibilities and homecomings

The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project, under construction in New Mexico, is testing approaches for improving access to running water.

Tribal breakthrough? Four states, six tribes announce first formal talks on Colorado River negotiating...

Four states have embarked on formal meetings to negotiate jointly with some of the largest owners of Colorado River water rights: tribal communities.

Gunnison River water agencies win $340,000 in federal drought grants, launch contingency planning

The Bureau of Reclamation gives funding through its WaterSMART program to five Western states to help combat drought and infrastructure issues.

‘This system cannot be sustained’

This year, tribal nations enter negotiations over Colorado River water.
The Roaring Fork River joins with the Colorado River in downtown Glenwood Springs photo

Spring runoff forecast looks better than last two years

Colorado’s predictions for spring runoff are looking better than the past two years, but streamflows are still expected to be below normal.

Photos: Santa Cruz River in Tucson, February 2021

This page features photos of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson, Arizona. The Santa Cruz begins in southern Arizona, dips into northern Mexico, and meets the Gila River, a...
Arizona Public Media

Video: The vanishing vaquita

Should Colorado River water be used to grow alfalfa or subdivisions in the Phoenix metropolitan area?