How universities in the West justify staying green during drought
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...
Even in a pandemic, drought drives water use along the Front Range
Municipal water providers saw commercial water use plummet at the beginning of the pandemic but those savings were erased once the hot summer rolled in.
Amid a withering drought, New Mexico leaders struggle to plan for life with less...
New Mexico faces tough choices as a dire and historic drought continues and the Rio Grande is unable to give everyone what they want or need.
Just 53% of Colorado cities use permanent watering restrictions, despite proven savings
Despite a drought and below-normal reservoir levels, communities remain split on permanent outdoor watering restrictions.
Cutting Back
In Diamond Valley, Nevada, farmers are looking to protect their future — and testing the limits of the state’s water laws.
Overlooked Army Corps rulemaking would shrink federal stream protections
Conservation groups and state regulators are alarmed by proposed changes to nationwide permits that authorize construction across streams and wetlands.
West Slope water managers ask: What authority do the feds have?
Some Colorado water managers are asking what authority the federal government has in the upper basin and which water projects could be at risk.
Water conservation payments to Colorado ranchers could top $120M; is it enough?
A new economic study suggests that a wide-scale water conservation program in Colorado could cost more than $120 million.
Some Western cities offer residents “cash for grass” to reduce irrigation
A study in 2016 showed that lawns are the largest irrigated crop in America.
Colorado official says demand management program holds water
At the heart of a potential program is a reduction in water use in an attempt to send up to 500,000 acre-feet downstream to Lake Powell to bolster thereservoir and meet 1922 Colorado River Compact obligations.