Welcome #SEJ2019 Attendees!
The Water Desk and journalists
The Water Desk is an independent, nonprofit journalism initiative. Talk to @mitchtobin and @yulsman at SEJ 2019 to learn more.
Session at SEJ, Saturday October 12
Water in the West: Challenges and Solutions
Join moderator Mitch Tobin of The Water Desk in a conversation with the author and journalist Heather Hansman, Denver Water's Jim Lochhead, CSU scientist Brad Udall and tribal water administrator Daryl Vigil.
10:45am-12:30pm, Room 308-310, 3rd Floor, Lory Student Center
Water Desk journalism announcements
Participants selected for The Water Desk’s Rio Grande journalist training and workshop
The Water Desk is excited to announce the participants for the Rio Grande Journalist Training and Workshop, taking place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January 2025.
This training program will...
Apply now for The Water Desk’s Rio Grande journalist training and workshop
The Water Desk is excited to announce an in-person training and workshop for journalists interested in covering the Rio Grande watershed.
The Rio Grande faces significant challenges: climate change, aridification,...
The Water Desk on Instagram
Stories and reports
Once a showcase of American optimism and engineering, Hoover Dam faces new power generation...
The long-term drying of the American Southwest poses a gathering and measurable threat to hydropower generation in the Colorado River basin.
Should Lake Mead, the reservoir formed by Hoover Dam,...
Q&A: Snow droughts imperil the American West’s water supply
A lack of snow impacts the West’s water resources, wildfire risk, recreational activities and ecosystem health.
Multimedia galleries
Photos: Animas River in southwest Colorado, 2022 and 2024
This page in our free multimedia library features photos of the Animas River in southwest Colorado. The images were captured during two trips on the Durango and Silverton Narrow...
Videos: Taos Box rafting on Rio Grande, June 2023
This page in our free multimedia library features GoPro video of a rafting trip through the Taos Box on the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico. This entry also...
Data visualizations
Map: Winter photo galleries
Use this interactive map to browse photos and videos taken in wintertime from our expanding collection of free-to-use media captured by drones, planes and ground-based photographers.
Data viz: Elephant Butte Reservoir levels
Last update: September 21, 2022
Percent of total capacity
Source: US Bureau of Reclamation
Background resources
Cases, agreements and treaties
The legal intricacies of Western water can be difficult to wade through. This timeline offers an introduction to some key cases, agreements and treaties. Scroll down to find more...
Resources: Background readings
Browse our background reading resources.
Colorado River Basin
Helpful online resources for learning more about the Colorado River Basin.
1922 Colorado River Compact
1922 Colorado River Compact Meeting Transcripts
The Fourth National Climate Assessment...