Water may be for fighting over, but water data is worth cheering about. A new Interior Department data portal may help journalists cover the ever-critical issue of water shortage and surplus in the Colorado River basin and nationwide.

The portal, titled "Drought in the Colorado River Basin," presents a complex picture of flow in the geographically complex Colorado River system. Right now there is hardly enough water in the Colorado to meet everyone's needs and wants — a situation which produces news.

The main web page for the portal is here. [2] It is part of a broader interagency initiative called the Open Water Data Initiative. [3]

At the foundation of federal water data structures is the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System. [4] Also essential is the U.S. Drought Monitor. [5]