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The Water Desk
Unanswered questions: New Mexico looks to fossil fuel byproduct to ease pressure on freshwater supplies
Mario Atencio’s family never received a notification that 1,100 barrels of produced water—a byproduct of oil and gas extraction—had spilled on their allotment in February 2019 near Counselor, New Mexico in the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation, near Chaco Culture National Historical Park. It wasn’t until...
Searching for solutions: In New Mexico, researchers seek to make brackish water a viable supply
Heading through eastern New Mexico, dairy cattle can be seen in farms beside the highway while flashing lights illuminate the wind farms at night. Large sprinklers irrigate the crop circles where, in the spring, the endangered lesser prairie chickens may venture out of the brush onto the fields to dance while keeping a close eye on the sky for the hawks that hunt overhead.
Does Arizona have enough water? Phoenix-area cities are spending big to make sure it does
Brett Fleck does not have an easy job. He manages water for a city in the desert. He has to keep taps flowing while facing a complicated equation: The city is growing — attracting big business and thousands of new residents every year — but its main source of water is shrinking.
“Thirst Gap” Podcast, Hosted By The Water Desk’s Luke Runyon, Garners Journalism Awards
“Thirst Gap: Learning to Live with Less on the Colorado River,” a podcast produced by The Water Desk co-director, Luke Runyon, earned multiple awards in recent regional and national contests. Runyon reported the six-episode narrative series for KUNC, the NPR station for northern Colorado, before joining The Water Desk...
Using less of the Colorado River takes a willing farmer and $45 million in federal funds
Wyoming native Leslie Hagenstein lives on the ranch where she grew up and remembers her grandmother and father delivering milk in glass bottles from the family’s Mount Airy Dairy. The cottonwood-lined property, at the foot of the Wind River Mountains south of Pinedale, is not only home to Hagenstein,...
Q&A: Defining the “snow deluge” and projecting its future
For California’s Sierra Nevada, the winter of 2022-2023 delivered an epic snowpack that broke many records and busted a severe drought. The exceptional season, dubbed the “snowpocalypse” by some, caused havoc during the winter and flooding later in the year while also replenishing reservoirs and making skiers happy—once the roads and resorts emerged from storm closures.
The Other Border Dispute Is Over an 80-Year-Old Water Treaty
This story was reported with a grant from The Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder. EL PASO—Maria-Elena Giner faced a room full of farmers, irrigation managers and residents in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas on April 2. The local agricultural community was reeling. Reservoirs on the...
Reporter’s Notebook: The making of “The Gen Z Water Dealmaker,” a podcast about the Colorado River negotiations
The Colorado River is in the midst of one of the worst water crises in recorded history. Climate change and overuse are taking a significant toll. Leaders from seven U.S. states must compromise and reach a solution to prevent the river from collapsing. To understand how negotiators from those states...
In Colorado, new scrutiny and possible fixes coming for drinking water in mobile home parks
In western communities, mobile home parks provide a more affordable place to live, but residents often face problems with their drinking water. In Colorado, a new law gives the state authority to test water quality in these communities and force owners to fix any issues. The state plans to start...
Join us for a webinar on new Colorado River podcast
The Colorado River is in the midst of one of the worst water crises in recorded history. Climate change and overuse are taking a significant toll. Leaders from seven U.S. states must compromise and reach a solution to prevent the river from collapsing. To understand how negotiators from those states...
How this spring’s snowpack is stacking up
A version of this post originally appeared on Snow News on April 4, 2024. April 1 is a big day for fools, and for the West’s water professionals. For the region’s water wonks, April 1 is a critical date for tracking snow accumulation and projecting the subsequent runoff that will fill streams, rivers, reservoirs, aqueducts, irrigation ditches, and the taps in homes and businesses.
10 visuals that show how climate change is transforming the West’s snow and water supply
A recent federal synthesis of climate change research paints a grim portrait of snow’s future in the American West and warns that the fast-growing region’s water supply is vulnerable. “Climate change will continue to cause profound changes in the water cycle, increasing the risk of flooding, drought, and...
In dry years, Colorado’s Crystal River runs at a trickle — but why?
Editor’s note: This story is part of a larger project undertaken by Aspen Journalism — a nonprofit, investigative news organization — to examine water use on the Crystal River. Visit Aspen Journalism’s website to see the complete project, including narrative descriptions of how water is used on each of the river’s eight largest ditches, as well as an interactive map.
Reading list: great snow journalism
Over the past few years, I’ve been collecting news stories and other journalism related to snow. Below are links to some of the best and most interesting work that I’ve come across, lumped into a few categories. If you’re looking for a crash course on snow and the...
In $100 million Colorado River deal, water and power collide
Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon is as busy as it is majestic. At the base of its snowy, near-vertical walls, the narrow chasm hums with life. On one side, the Colorado River tumbles through whitewater rapids. On the other, cars and trucks whoosh by on a busy interstate. Pinched in the...
Why atmospheric rivers can be both harmful and helpful
A version of this post originally appeared on Snow News on February 1, 2024. The term “atmospheric river” (AR) has become common in weather stories and media coverage, but the name for these age-old events is a relative newcomer in meteorological glossaries. Coined by scientists in the 1990s,...
What is an atmospheric river? A hydrologist explains the good and bad of these flood-prone storms and how they’re changing
A series of atmospheric rivers is bringing the threat of heavy downpours, flooding, mudslides and avalanches to the Pacific Northwest and California this week. While these storms are dreaded for the damage they can cause, they are also essential to the region’s water supply, particularly in California, as Qian Cao, a hydrologist at the University of California, San Diego, explains.
Water flux and toxic wells – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 12 – Kathy James
On this episode of Water Buffs, we examine how drought can harm human health, specifically how dramatic fluctuations in water availability can lead to increasingly toxic water supplies. Dr. James is an award-winning epidemiologist and engineer specializing in environmental and climate risk factors and their connection to health in vulnerable...
Helpful sites for tracking snow and the (subpar) snowpack
A version of this post originally appeared on Snow News on January 4, 2024. There’s no shortage of websites with maps and graphics visualizing snow forecasts and the state of the snowpack. In fact, information overload is the real challenge. Starting up Snow News, I felt like a skier...
Staying safe with the Winter Storm Severity Index
A version of this post originally appeared on Snow News on December 12, 2023. When snow is incoming, I turn to the Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI). WSSI is a helpful, pragmatic, and relatively new forecast product that’s meant to communicate weather-related risks to the general public and illustrate the threat that snow, ice, and wind pose for transportation, infrastructure, homes, and businesses.
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The Water Desk is an independent news organization dedicated to increasing the volume, depth and power of journalism connected to Western water issues.
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