Colorado is running out of water — not ideas.


Colorado is at a crucial pressure point: we have less and less water, but more people and more demand. This precious resource shapes everything from our farms to our cities to our future.

But our reporting project isn’t just about scarcity. It’s about what’s possible.


Across Colorado, communities aren’t just worrying — they’re innovating.

Farmers are rethinking irrigation. Cities are conserving smarter. Neighbors are finding ways to do more with less.

So our team decided: What if we focused on what’s working?

The Colorado Sun’s Western Water Solutions Project will spotlight real-time ideas and strategies — not as feel-good stories, but as examples of what’s working that can inform water conscious residents and impact real decisions across the state.

What is “solutions journalism”?

In an era that feels saturated with “bad news,” and sensational reporting, solutions journalism act as a bridge from despair to agency. The reporting is still rigorous and in-depth, but instead of simply identifying problems, it takes the time to examine how communities are responding and what’s working. 

What we’ll deliver (May–Oct. 2026)

With local partnerships, we’ll produce:

  • 8–10 deeply reported stories focused on real-world water solutions
  • Data visualizations + original photography to bring clarity to complexity
  • Spanish translations to expand access statewide
  • Community events in underrepresented regions
  • Practical guides for residents, ranchers and decision-makers

Why The Colorado Sun

We’re a nonprofit, journalist-founded newsroom built to serve Colorado — not shareholders. For more than seven years, we’ve reported from all corners of the state, earning trust as a convener of facts, voices and ideas and delivering in-depth, independent journalism with no paywall. When Coloradans need to understand complex issues like water, they turn to The Sun.

An Opportunity to be a Ground-level Partner

Invest in water-focused storytelling and elevate this important issue beyond your circles. 

We are seeking $80,000 in community investment to power this work.

Donations and sponsorships at $5,000–$25,000 funds:

  • In-depth reporting and editing
  • Statewide travel and fieldwork
  • Translation and visual storytelling
  • Community engagement and live events

More than that, it fuels journalism that helps people move from awareness to action.

The impact

Together, we will:

  • Surface scalable, practical solutions to one of Colorado’s most urgent challenges
  • Ensure equitable access to trusted information
  • Elevate voices and perspectives  from communities too often left out of the conversation
  • Spur productive conversations in household, institutions and communities across the state. 

Meet the journalists

Shannon Mullane
Water reporter focused on the Colorado River and the policies shaping the West’s water future. Known for deeply sourced, accessible reporting that connects complex systems to everyday life.

Michael Booth
Veteran environment and public policy reporter covering climate, health and natural resources. Brings decades of experience explaining how big systems impact local communities.

Dana Coffield
Co-founder and editor with a passion for accountability journalism. Dana helps shape coverage that is both deeply reported and deeply human — connecting policy to people.

Join us

Invest in what’s working — and what’s next.

Because the future of water in Colorado isn’t predetermined.
And with the right information, we can turn uncertainty into action.

Become a funding partner
Start a conversation with our team
Help power solutions-focused journalism for Colorado

Let’s build a more informed, resilient Colorado — together.