Staging version updated 12/5/2023

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

State officials draft bill on stream restoration

Colorado officials have drafted a bill aimed at addressing a tension between stream restoration projects and water rights holders.

High stakes standoff

A high stakes standoff is playing out over how to save the Colorado River. And with the biggest man-made reservoir in America — Lake Mead — running dry, time...

A new strategy for western states to adapt to long-term drought: Customized water pricing

Rather than raising everyone’s water prices, we propose a customized approach that lets individual consumers decide whether to pay higher prices.

A Colorado River flows drop and tensions rise, water interests struggle to find solutions...

Experts warn that climate change has rendered old assumptions outdated about what the Colorado River can provide, leaving painful water cuts as the only way forward.

Cash for Grass: Colorado to pay for turf removal, boost water conservation

Colorado has a new turf replacement program that will finance residential areas to switch their yards to more water efficient landscaping.

Recreation groups ask for more inclusion in state Water Plan

Colorado’s river recreation community is asking for more recognition in the update to the state’s Water Plan.

Colorado OKs drinking treated wastewater; now to convince the public it’s a good idea

Colorado joins three other states in approving a new rule that clears the way for drinking treated wastewater.

Which wetlands should receive federal protection? The Supreme Court revisits a question it has...

A wetland protection case being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court will determine which bodies of water can be federally regulated.

How to steer money for drinking water and sewer upgrades to the communities that...

A historic increase in federal water infrastructure funding is coming over the next five years, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
San Diego has shored up its water supplies by upgrading the All-American Canal, which takes Colorado River water to California's Imperial Valley. TED WOOD

A quiet revolution: Southwest cities learn to thrive amid drought

Southwestern U.S. cities have embraced innovative strategies for conserving and sourcing water in a changing climate.