When the West’s rivers surge each spring, older groundwater dominates the runoff
A better understanding of groundwater in the headwaters could improve streamflow predictions
Reading list: great snow journalism
If you’re looking for a crash course on snow and the Western snowpack, check out this great reporting, writing, and visual storytelling.
As 2020 kicks in, historic Colorado River Drought Plan will get its first test
This year, the first-ever Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan is set to launch, and water officials expect 2020 to bring unprecedented changes to the way the river is run, including cutbacks in water use by some states.
Why the second-driest state rejects water conservation
A powerful group that steers Utah’s water policy keeps pushing for costly infrastructure over meaningful conservation efforts.
Aspen’s rich history of befouling the Roaring Fork River
As Aspen evolved from a bucolic high-mountain meadow to an industrial city, pollution began to flow directly into the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries.
Map: U.S. dams and reservoirs
The Global Reservoir and Dam Database (GRaND) is a survey listing about 7,000 larger dams and reservoirs worldwide, including 1,920 in the United States. Data includes such parameters as...
As drought shrinks the Colorado River, a Southern California giant seeks help from river...
Metropolitan Water District's water recycling proposal builds momentum amid increasingly dry conditions.
Video story: Cooling the Yampa river (full length)
As climate change brings warmer weather, Westerners are looking for ways to protect the region’s rivers and streams. In a special report for the Water Desk, Jerd Smith of Fresh Water News explains a strategy for safeguarding Colorado’s Yampa River.
The Southwest monsoon season is changing, forcing ranchers and Indigenous farmers to adapt
Changing storms in the Southwest are altering timeless food traditions as researchers grapple with how to study the monsoon’s erratic nature.
Roaring Fork on its way to 100 more acre-feet of flows
Pitkin County took the final step in a years-long effort to get more water into the often water-short upper Roaring Fork River.