Concerns rise over Grizzly Creek Fire’s impact on Colorado River’s endangered fish downstream
By Heather Sackett
The Grizzly Creek Fire in Glenwood Canyon has many people praying for rain. But the very thing that could douse the blaze, which has burned 32,000 acres as...
Colorado River emergency actions leave root causes of crisis unaddressed
On April 17, the federal government ordered emergency measures to prevent water levels at Lake Powell from falling so low that Glen Canyon Dam, which created the reservoir, could...
City water from wilderness
Against fierce opposition, thirsty cities near Denver plan to draw water from Colorado River headwaters in the Holy Cross Wilderness. Jerd Smith reports for The Water Desk.
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Colorado officials crack down on ponds in Arkansas River basin
State engineers in the Arkansas River basin are beginning to crack down on more than 10,000 ponds without legal water rights, which they say are harming senior rights holders.
Thirsty future for American West, as “megadrought” grips some of the fastest-growing U.S. cities
By Alexandra Tempus, Fair Warning
In 2002, Utah was reeling from four years of dry conditions that turned the state “into a parched tinderbox,’’ as the Associated Press reported at...
Crisis on the Colorado Part V: Bringing New Life to a Stressed River
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.
Lake Powell to dip below target elevation
Despite emergency releases from upper basin reservoirs to prop up Lake Powell, levels are still projected to dip below a critical threshold.
Navajo water
Many residents on the Navajo Reservation are now enjoying clean, running water and solar power in their homes, benefiting from DigDeep’s ambitious project to transform their daily lives with...
In burned forests, the West’s snowpack is melting earlier
As blazes expand to higher elevations, the impacts cascade downstream
The Southwest monsoon season is changing, forcing ranchers and Indigenous farmers to adapt
Changing storms in the Southwest are altering timeless food traditions as researchers grapple with how to study the monsoon’s erratic nature.












