Staging version updated 12/5/2023

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

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.
Lightning during a monsoon storm photo

Monsoons make deserts bloom in the US Southwest, but climate change is making these...

Understanding monsoons is critical for educating communities about their benefits and risks, and about how to stay safe from flash flooding.
Irrigation from the Crystal River photo

River District report highlights Western Slope concerns with state water-savings plan

The Colorado River Water Conservation District staff plans to present its own framework for a water-savings plan at its October board meeting.

In an arid U.S. West, water agencies look to delive​r​ purified wastewater directly to...

Western water ​experts are working to not only conserve water, but to also reuse as much wastewater as possible​,​ including ​through direct potable reuse​.​
Windy Gap Reservoir photo

Jackpot: Colorado stimulus funds boost water grants to $13M

Environment and recreation projects represented the largest slice of the pie at $6.6 million.

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...

Photos: Blue Mesa Reservoir, July 2021

This page features photos of Blue Mesa Reservoir, along the Gunnison River in Colorado's Curecanti National Recreation Area. Created by 390-foot Blue Mesa Dam, the reservoir has a capacity of 829,500 acre-feet, making it...

Photos: Santa Cruz River in Tucson, February 2021

This page features photos of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson, Arizona. The Santa Cruz begins in southern Arizona, dips into northern Mexico, and meets the Gila River, a...

Homestake hike highlights uncertainties with proposed reservoir project

A project in the Upper Eagle River watershed proposes to send water from the Colorado River basin to the fast-growing Front Range. 
Cedar Springs Marina photo

Feds won’t do more emergency water releases to aid Lake Powell after this year

The releases from Flaming Gorge, Blue Mesa and Navajo reservoirs are designed to bolster hydropower production at the ailing Lake Powell.