Arizona

Years of drought, upstream diversions and impoundments, and an overly optimistic forecast of Colorado River flows, have sapped the river once literally called Grand.

A warming climate has been linked to human activity around the world, and has affected the Colorado River System as well. The impacts are substantial, from reduced water flows, threats to indigenous species and the influx of new invasive species along the river system.

This page features photos of the Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend, near Page, Arizona. This scenic vista in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, located just downstream from Glen Canyon...

This page features photos of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, near Page, Arizona. The 710-foot dam was built from 1956 to 1966. The reservoir is named for explorer...

The combination of groundwater pumping and warmer temperatures is shrinking aquifers and lowering water tables in Arizona.

Should Colorado River water be used to grow alfalfa or subdivisions in the Phoenix metropolitan area?

The Colorado River has been dammed, diverted, and slowed by reservoirs, strangling the life out of a once-thriving ecosystem. But in the U.S. and Mexico, efforts are underway to revive sections of the river and restore vital riparian habitat for native plants, fish, and wildlife.

Once criticized for being a profligate user of water, fast-growing Phoenix has taken some major steps — including banking water in underground reservoirs, slashing per-capita use, and recycling wastewater — in anticipation of the day when the flow from the Colorado River ends.

Communities along the Colorado River are facing a new era of drought and water shortages that is threatening their future. With an official water emergency declaration now possible, farmers, ranchers, and towns are searching for ways to use less water and survive.

With the Southwest locked in a 19-year drought and climate change making the region increasingly drier, water managers and users along the Colorado River are facing a troubling question: Are we in a new, more arid era when there will never be enough water?