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

Basin roundtables push back on Colorado Water Conservation Board’s proposed code of conduct

The state water board is encouraging roundtables to adopt a code of conduct, but some Western Slope roundtables are pushing back.

Deadline passed

The seven states failed to meet a federal deadline of February 1st to agree on a plan to use less water from the Colorado River. Brad Hicks of the...
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.
Aerial Snowborne Observatories flight photo

Counting every drop: Colorado approves $1.9M for high-tech snow, water measuring program

Colorado has approved a $1.9 million snow measuring initiative that will help forecast how much water mountain snowpack will likely generate.

Utah’s Suicide Pact With the Fossil Fuel Industry

The state’s fixation on oil and gas development threatens the Colorado River watershed.
Castle Creek in Aspen

Aspen officials want more data to plan for drought, seeking $59k for more tools

The city of Aspen is hoping some grant money can help it collect more data on snow and streams in the high country so it can better predict and plan for droughts.

Concerns rise over Grizzly Creek Fire’s impact on Colorado River’s endangered fish downstream

By Heather Sackett The Grizzly Creek Fire in Glenwood Canyon has many people praying for rain. But the very thing that could douse the blaze, which has burned 32,000 acres as...

Photos: Front Range aerials, May 2019

This photo gallery features images shot during a Lighthawk aerial tour of water-related sites along Colorado's Front Range. After departing from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, the flight...

Once ‘paradise,’ parched Colorado valley grapples with arsenic in water

Decades of climate change-driven drought, combined with the overpumping of aquifers, is making the valley desperately dry — and appears to be intensifying the levels of heavy metals in drinking water.

Photos and videos: Rio Grande Gorge, August 2022

This page features ground-based and drone-captured images and videos of the Rio Grande Gorge, near Taos, N.M. The Rio Grande Gorge is a striking canyon up to 800 feet deep...