American West

For decades, a Utah uranium mill has sparked debate over whether radioactive contamination threatens human health by getting into the water and the air.

After years of analysis and stalled negotiations, the federal government last month finally laid out its proposal for managing the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs for the next decade. The Bureau of Reclamation...

The Bureau of Reclamation’s final environmental impact statement leaves the door open for states to come to an agreement on how to share the water—and for legal battles.

Q&A with hydrologist Adrienne Marshall on why this past winter’s snowpack fell so low, how global warming increased the odds and what the future may hold

In dry, western Colorado, near the town of Glade Park, a high-elevation meadow is surrounded by aspens and firs. The grass is surprisingly bright green. That’s a clue, said...

Collaboration keeps water flowing

A 'wild idea' to defuse the Colorado River Compact's legal time bomb has been kept alive by seasoned observers who believe it could still save the river

Water managers say drying up farmland is not the solution

In early June, water experts gathered at the University of Colorado Boulder to talk about the future of the Colorado River.  The lifeline for 40 million people in the Southwest...

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