Staging version updated 12/5/2023

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

Photos and videos: Blue Mesa Reservoir, December 2020

This page features ground-based photos of Blue Mesa Reservoir, along the Gunnison River in Curecanti National Recreation Area. Created by 390-foot Blue Mesa Dam, the reservoir has a capacity of...

Running out of water and time: How unprepared is California for 2021’s drought?

The most acute problem, experts say, is the lack of controls on groundwater pumping.
Water diversion photo

Special Report: Inside the toxic link between Colorado’s wildfires and its water

Megafires triggered by drought and climate change have ravaged major Colorado water systems, and recent snowmelt will only make things worse.
Rocky Mountain National Park burn photo

Funding shortfalls, bureaucratic barriers hobble efforts to restore Colorado’s fire-scarred water systems

Funding shortfalls are hobbling efforts to clean up watersheds and protect drinking water for more than 1 million Coloradans.

Basin roundtables push back on Colorado Water Conservation Board’s proposed code of conduct

The state water board is encouraging roundtables to adopt a code of conduct, but some Western Slope roundtables are pushing back.
Kettleman City orchard photo

Water wells are at risk of going dry in the US and worldwide

Wells that irrigate agriculture and supply drinking water to more than 100 million Americans are at risk from over-pumping.
Yampa River photo

As iconic Yampa River flows drop, Colorado moves to tighten oversight

With drought continuing to grip the American West, Colorado is declaring one of its last, mostly free-flowing rivers as over-appropriated.

Photos and videos: Navajo Lake and San Juan River, April 2021

This page features drone-captured videos and images of Navajo Lake, a reservoir that impounds the San Juan River in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Completed in 1962, Navajo...

A century of federal indifference left generations of Navajo homes without running water

A new pipeline will provide running water to some of the 30 to 40% of Navajo Nation residents who still live without it in their homes.
Ritschard dam photo 1

A dam in Grand County is showing an increasing risk of failure, prompting a...

Problems with a Grand County, Colorado dam are turning out to be worse than previously thought, and may be tough to plan for moving forward.