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

Photos: Flaming Gorge Reservoir, June 2021

This page features photos of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which impounds the Green River in Wyoming and Utah. The Green River is the most significant tributary of the Colorado River. Flaming...

At Phoenix’s far edge, a housing boom grasps for water

BUCKEYE, Ariz. – Beneath the exhausting Sonoran sun, an hour’s drive west of Phoenix, heavy machines are methodically scraping the desert bare. Where mesquite and saguaro once stood, the former...
Gross Dam aerial. Photo by Mitch Tobin

Photos: Gross Reservoir aerials, May 2019

This photo gallery features images shot during a Lighthawk aerial photo flight over Gross Dam and Reservoir, west of Boulder. Denver Water has proposed raising the dam by 131...

Some Western cities offer residents “cash for grass” to reduce irrigation

A study in 2016 showed that lawns are the largest irrigated crop in America.
A canal diverts water from the Colorado River to farms in Palisade, Colorado. TED WOOD

Crisis on the Colorado Part III: Running Dry– New Strategies for Conserving Water

Communities along the Colorado River are facing a new era of drought and water shortages that is threatening their future. With an official water emergency declaration now possible, farmers, ranchers, and towns are searching for ways to use less water and survive.
Construction workers build a single family home in Castle Rock. The community needs new surface water supplies to reduce its reliance on non-renewable groundwater. Credit: Jerd Smith

Douglas County says no to developers’ San Luis Valley water export proposal

Douglas County will not use COVID-relief funding to help finance a controversial $400 million-plus proposal to export farm water from the San Luis Valley to their fast-growing, water-short region.
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.

Staying safe with the Winter Storm Severity Index

This pragmatic tool from federal forecasters illustrates where snow, ice, and wind can be deadly and disruptive.

Vague and voluntary proposals may do little to help Colorado River

Seven municipal water providers in the West create a five-point plan to conserve water, but some say it's not enough.

Who should pay for water conservation in the West? Water managers wade into discussion

The head of the Colorado River District says any funding must be channeled through the Colorado Water Conservation Board to prevent speculation by private buyers.