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Thirst Gap is a six-part podcast series about how the Southwest is adapting to water shortages as climate change causes the region to warm up and dry out.

Farmers and ranchers use the vast majority of the Colorado River’s water. Getting them to voluntarily use less is difficult.

The Colorado River’s current crisis traces its roots back to 1922. That’s when leaders from the rapidly-growing southwestern states that rely on the river traveled to a swanky Santa Fe mountain retreat to divvy up the river’s water. Growing populations in some of the West’s burgeoning cities and sprawling farmlands, and the anxieties tied to that growth, pushed leaders to the negotiating table.

Tribes in the southwest hold significant rights to the Colorado River’s water. But they’ve been left out of nearly every major agreement to manage the river. Leaders across the region are debating how to use less water amid the region’s warming climate. Tribes say they never got the chance to use their water in the first place, and that everyone in the river basin should plan for a future where they do.

Las Vegas is known as a city of excess. But not when it comes to water. The desert metropolis relies on the Colorado River to keep its iconic casinos bustling. The short supply has caused city leaders to enforce some of the tightest water conservation measures in the West. Green lawns are enemy number one.

The Colorado River comes to an end at the U.S.-Mexico border. The entirety of its flow, already heavily tapped upstream in the U.S., is sent into an irrigation canal to grow crops in the Mexicali Valley and to flow through faucets in Tijuana and Mexicali. The river’s final hundred miles have been mostly dry for decades. Environmental groups on both sides of the border are working together to let the Colorado flow again in its historic channel.

Lake Powell is a boater’s dream. The nation’s second largest reservoir on the Colorado River is a maze of sandstone canyons teeming with houseboats. But climate change and unchecked demand for water sent the lake’s levels to a new record low this year. In this episode we explore changes to recreation in this popular vacation hotspot.

KUNC's new podcast In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, people, and issues important to Northern Colorado. We help listeners lead better, more informed lives by providing context and clarity around the conversations shaping our communities, and highlighting the stories and voices of the real people who live here. The show unravels the big issues of the day and the untold stories of the moment. And we also make time to celebrate all the things that make Northern Colorado such an incredible place to live, work, and play.

The Telluride Film Festival is one of the most renowned film festivals in the world. This annual celebration of film and filmmakers marks its 50th year this weekend. We talk with our film critic Howie Movshovitz about its storied past and anticipated present.

In the newest season of The Colorado Dream, we examine the affordable housing crisis in mountain resort communities where land and inventory are scarce.