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

A Colorado River veteran moves upstream and plunges into the drought-stressed river’s mounting woes

Chuck Cullom discusses the Upper Basin's five-point plan, water cut-offs and who IS responsible for water losses.

Public: New Colorado Water Plan needs more urgency and accountability

Coloradans want the state’s top water road map to be more equitable, but finalizing plans has been difficult.
Big beaches are growing, and stabilizing, along the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon just above Lake Powell, like this one captured in early October. A recent study on the secondary economic impacts of a water-use-reduction program intended to deliver more water to Lake Powell found some jobs could be lost across western Colorado.

Study finds small number of jobs lost under demand-management program

A recent study of a Colorado demand-management program found that the benefits would be comparable to the negative secondary impacts.
After two decades of drought, Lake Mead, which is impounded by Hoover Dam, is just 40 percent full. A “bathtub ring” visible along the edges of the lake show how far its water levels have dropped. PHOTO BY TED WOOD. SUPPORT FOR AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY LIGHTHAWK

Crisis on the Colorado Part II: On a Water-Starved River, Drought Is the New...

With the Southwest locked in a 19-year drought and climate change making the region increasingly drier, water managers and users along the Colorado River are facing a troubling question: Are we in a new, more arid era when there will never be enough water?

State inspections lag for New Mexico’s primary drinking water source

New Mexico is behind in water inspections for the third year in a row, leaving water quality in question.
Yampa River photo

As iconic Yampa River flows drop, Colorado moves to tighten oversight

With drought continuing to grip the American West, Colorado is declaring one of its last, mostly free-flowing rivers as over-appropriated.

Map: New Mexico drought tracker

This map depicts data from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Drought intensity categories are based on numerous indicators and local reports from more than 350 expert observers around the...
Matilija Reservoir has filled with sediment, allowing grasses to grow on its surface. | Photo: Paul Jenkin (August 2019)

The dam nobody wants just won’t go away

Dams can stop the natural flow of sand and silt to the sea—resulting in coastal wetland loss and disappearing beaches—as well as preventing fish from reaching vital spawning grounds.
This photo from December 2021 shows one of the intake towers at Hoover Dam. Federal officials said basin states must conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet to protect reservoir levels in 2023. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

Race is on for Colorado River basin states to conserve before feds take action

Seven states in the West have been given until August 15th to implement new strategies and tools to conserve the Colorado River.

How Hudbay’s Santa Rita mining will impact Southern Arizona’s waterways

The proposed Copper World Complex mine is carving roads and berms that will impact wildlife and waterflow.