Staging version updated 12/5/2023

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

In Vegas, experts eye declining Colorado River flows, electricity woes and federal budget impacts

Millions of dollars are being lost as Lake Powell’s drought-strapped hydropower system fails to produce enough electricity.
Integrated Water Resources Plan land photo

Aspen officials release plan laying out 50 years of water projects

Aspen’s new water resource plan outlines the strategy for creating emergency storage to address threats to existing supplies.
NASA researchers in Colorado San Juans photo

Just in time for the holidays, feds offer $500,000 high-tech water contest

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is offering $500,000 for a better tool to measure how much water snowflakes contain.

New era? Western cities using wetland parks, stormwater capture and mobile wastewater collection

Western cities are using new tactics to address shrinking water supplies due to drought and population growth.

Special Report: As Lake Powell hits record lows, is filling a new drought pool...

Upper Basin states that created their own drought contingency plan still haven’t agreed on the biggest, most controversial element of the plan.

West Slope water officials sound alarm on climate change, shrinking water supplies

Colorado West Slope water officials turned up the volume on the call for action around water and climate change, calling it a “train wreck.”
Water photo

Ancient groundwater: Why the water you’re drinking may be thousands of years old

As wells run dry due to development, population growth and climate change, old groundwater is becoming increasingly important.

“A generational historic struggle to regain our water”

The Gila River Indian Community is ensuring that members can use their own resources while helping solve water supply problems in the region.
Water arriving by truck photo

Avoiding water bankruptcy in the drought-troubled Southwest: What the US and Iran can learn...

Past mistakes offer important lessons for future plans in the Southwest and other regions increasingly experiencing drought and water shortages.
Little Bear Ranch photo

Water planners pray for snow as 2022 forecast shows dry weather ahead

Colorado’s water forecast, already strained by back-to-back drought years, is unlikely to brighten this fall and winter.