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

roaring fork river

Work underway to smooth out big drop in river near Basalt

Work underway in the Roaring Fork River will make for a smoother ride for boaters beginning this spring.

Data centers a small, but growing factor in Arizona’s water budget

BUCKEYE, Ariz. – It was supposed to be called Cipriani, a master planned community with more than 9,700 homes at the western fringe of this sprawling desert city in...

Tribal water talks

With growing water shortages on the Colorado River, tribal communities are demanding a bigger role in river management and access to water they legally own but have never actually...

Rio Blanco secures water right for dam-and-reservoir project

A judge has granted a water conservancy district in northwest Colorado a water right for a new dam-and-reservoir project that top state engineers had opposed.

When flows are low, river recreators seek out new allies and avoid making enemies

What used to be a calm stretch of the Yampa River near Craig, Colorado, now boasts a new set of rollicking whitewater rapids.  They’re not the result of some new...

Troubled waters

The Trump administration’s new definition of “waters of the United States” dramatically shrinks federal protection of many wetlands and waterways under the Clean Water Act. The rule change cuts red tape for farmers and developers but could threaten ecosystems and drinking water, especially in the arid West.
A view of the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell photo

As Lake Powell dries up, the US turns to creative accounting for a short-term...

A new agreement calls for Western states to leave their drinking water in the reservoir — and act as if they didn't.

Climate change reducing Colorado River runoff

By Kurt Repanshek, National Parks Traveler By mid-century, annual runoff into the Colorado River could be reduced by nearly a third as declining snowpack leads to greater evaporation of snowmelt,...

Crystal River Ranch near Carbondale seeks to preserve water rights tied to potential dams,...

Are junior water rights to an oversubscribed river enough to justify two reservoirs on a farm? One Colorado rancher is about to find out.
The Crystal River flows through the town of Marble just after its confluence with Yule Creek

U.S. Army Corps won’t hold public hearing on marble quarry that relocated Yule Creek

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has denied local groups’ request for a public hearing in the case of a marble quarry that violated the Clean Water Act.