The Hardest Working River in the West

A StoryMap Exploring the Colorado River Through Data

Although not the largest or longest river in the World, the Colorado River is known for its many legacies. The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy developed a StoryMap about the Colorado River, its tributaries, and the lands upon which communities, economies, and the environment depend.

It is also about the places, people, and policies that have shaped water and land management and planning in the past and will continue to shape decisions about how we use, share, and conserve these finite resources today and in the future. With a widening gap between supply and demand, the water resources upon which land use, planning, and development depend are more vulnerable than ever.

This story is told across five sections:

• A Balancing Act
• Of Storage and Shortages
• Who’s Using Water and Where?
• Water Management Hurdles
• Tools for a Resilient Future