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Water in the West: Documenting the Change
Above:听A braided section of the Arkansas River flows east toward Kansas on Oct. 3, 2020 in Pueblo County, Colorado. Photo by RJ Sangosti.
Photojournalists RJ Sangosti and Elliot Ross, former and current Ted Scripps Fellows at 缅北禁地鈥檚 Center for Environmental Journalism, use photography to show immediate and long-term water concerns throughout the rapidly changing Western landscape.
Dead fish line the sun-baked shore of Neenoshe Reservoir in eastern Colorado. Water in the sandy Arkansas River bed inches slowly eastward. Exposed rock, water lines, marooned boats and fresh green growth illustrate dramatic changes to the Colorado River and its tributaries happening at this very moment.
Two Colorado photojournalists on the front lines of Western water鈥檚 decline have captured these pivotal scenes 鈥 and in doing so, and convey the consequences of hundred-year-old legal agreements, showcase what鈥檚 at stake and start conversations that will shape not only the future of Western water, but the rights of the people who rely on it.
鈥淒rought, climate change and water issues in the West 鈥 no matter if it鈥檚 in the Colorado or Arkansas river basin, it鈥檚 all tied together,鈥 said Sangosti.
The photographers received Ted Scripps Fellowships, a philanthropy-funded program celebrating over 25 years at 缅北禁地鈥檚 Center for Environmental Journalism. As the region鈥檚 environment and its resources rapidly change, seeing is believing.
RJ Sangosti
After two decades of covering Colorado breaking news for The Denver Post, RJ Sangosti needed a change. In 2020, during his Ted Scripps Fellowship, he found his calling covering Western water issues: 鈥淚 knew the impact of what was happening on the Colorado River, but the fellowship made it crystal clear that this was the story of my life,鈥 he said.
Sangosti鈥檚 transition to documenting Colorado鈥檚 environment was inspired by his firsthand experiences. Over the years, he saw changes happening in his home state that were affecting places he loved. He wanted to bring a voice to something that his kids would be proud of, and water in the West is 鈥渢he biggest thing that we all need to be concerned about.鈥
鈥淎s climate change affects the West, we鈥檙e the first ones to see how a major river is affected,鈥 he said. And in a dry region heavily reliant on major rivers for its water, communities in the West are also 鈥済oing to be the first ones to feel it.鈥
鈥淭his is a story that I can work on, and should work on, until I don鈥檛 want to work anymore,鈥 Sangosti said
Right:听A sunken boat reemerges at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada, during low water levels in 2023. Photo by RJ Sangosti.
The story of Western water is a story about people. Whether to drink, complete chores or stay cool, water is not guaranteed in drought-stricken and disproportionately impacted communities.
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Children cool off in a pool outside a home in Haswell, Colorado, which was hit hard by drought.
Pelicans gather on a small island exposed by low water levels in 2020 at John Martin Reservoir in Hasty, Colorado. In 2019, Colorado and Kansas agreed to provide an additional water source to feed the reservoir, which the Colorado Parks and Wildlife calls a conservation pool. It took 40 years for this agreement to come to fruition.
Yolinda Mejia siphons water into a fivegallon bucket to use for a load of laundry outside her home on the Navaj
