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

Colorado Water Plan turns five: Is it working?

Drought, growth, climate change, budget cuts, wildfires and competing demands for water are among the challenges facing the Colorado Water Plan.

Colorado River emergency actions leave root causes of crisis unaddressed

On April 17, the federal government ordered emergency measures to prevent water levels at Lake Powell from falling so low that Glen Canyon Dam, which created the reservoir, could...

Glenwood Springs gets $8 million loan for water-system upgrades following Grizzly Creek Fire

Glenwood Springs received approval for a loan of up to $8 million from the state to upgrade its water system to deal with the impacts from the Grizzly Creek Fire.
us drought monitor ecowest dashboard

Map: weekly drought reports

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...
A stream in the Rocky Mountains. Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Overlooked Army Corps rulemaking would shrink federal stream protections

Conservation groups and state regulators are alarmed by proposed changes to nationwide permits that authorize construction across streams and wetlands.
Crystal River rancher Bill Fales stands at the headgate for the Helms Ditch photo

Crystal River rancher, Water Trust again try to boost flows

A Crystal River Valley rancher and a nonprofit organization are teaming up for the second time to leave more water in a parched stream.

Colorado is examining water speculation, and finding it’s ‘all the problems’ in one

Water speculation has been sparking debate in Colorado over the last few months.

Unanswered questions: New Mexico looks to fossil fuel byproduct to ease pressure on freshwater...

Mario Atencio’s family never received a notification that 1,100 barrels of produced water—a byproduct of oil and gas extraction—had spilled on their allotment in February 2019 near Counselor, New...

The Great Drenching

How did California get battered by a relentless barrage of devastating atmospheric river storms despite La Niña?
precipitation map ecowest

Map: monthly average precipitation

This map shows total rain and snowfall in the contiguous United States, every month from 1981 to the present. The map's color scale runs from white (no precipitation), to blue (significant precipitation) to red (intense...