Less federal pressure, worsening drought, and more interstate tension loom over Colorado River talks
The Colorado River Basin is in crisis.
Climate change is reducing its flow and its biggest reservoirs are shrinking. The seven U.S. states that use the river are negotiating cutbacks...
How New Mexico learned to love its ephemeral waters
In 2004, Michael and Chantell Sackett purchased a plot of land near Priest Lake, Idaho, in the picturesque northern reaches of the state’s panhandle. On one side of their...
As deal deadline approaches, Colorado River stewards debate a broad range of options
It’s crunch time for negotiators from seven western states trying to strike a deal before Feb. 14 on how to share the dwindling Colorado River.
But four days of talks...
Climate change makes snowmaking a necessity, not a backup, for the West’s ski resorts
As guests ski and ride down Schoomarm, a stretch of beginner-friendly terrain at Keystone Resort in Colorado, they are treated to views of Dillon Reservoir nearly the whole way...
Utah has county-by-county water goals. Which ones are hitting them?
One size fits all. That’s great for hats in the Zion National Park gift shop but not for water conservation goals.
So at the start of this decade — and...
Trees keep a record of Colorado’s Crystal River. Researchers say that story could help...
Tree rings can tell a story. Wide bands signal a wet period, while narrow ones show a drought. Whole ecosystems can be encoded in trees. In Western Colorado, scientists...
Rainfall brings Colorado River drought relief, but concerns for next year’s water supply remain
Heavy autumn rains brought relief to drought-plagued portions of the Southwest, but across the Colorado River basin ongoing water supply concerns still linger amid tense policy negotiations and near...
Human emissions are helping fuel the Southwest’s epic drought
Three studies of the Pacific Ocean conclude that lower precipitation isn’t just due to natural causes
With wildfire-prevention work, Flagstaff seeks to avoid the next devastating flood
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Five large wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres in the forests around this northern Arizona city in the last 15 years. Monsoon floods after...
Indigenous youths finish historic journey down Klamath River after dams removed
KLAMATH, Calif. — In a thick forest along the remote northern California coast earlier this month, a group of mostly young Indigenous kayakers pushed off into the clear-emerald waters...