‘It’s devastating’: Drawdown at Flaming Gorge hits local recreation economy
As campers with boats flocked to Buckboard Marina at the start of Memorial Day weekend, Tony Valdez was busy issuing refunds and repairing broken boat ramps. One older Green...
As Lake Powell drops, a thriving ecosystem is emerging
“We’re entering beaver land!” Zanna Stutz yelled joyfully.
Stepping lightly over slick, wobbly mud and splashing through ankle-deep water, she approached a small dam created by nature’s engineers.
A Woodhouse toad...
Hoover Dam approaches a hydropower cliff
Some day in the next 12 months – maybe in late-August, maybe not until next spring – Lake Mead will drop below the critical threshold of 1,035 feet above...
Lake Powell is draining away from Bullfrog Marina. Now it has to move
For Dave and Gaye Babcock, Lake Powell is like part of the family.
The couple from Helper, Utah, have been coming for nearly 50 years. They got engaged at the...
Just add water: West Texas wetlands project brings new life to ancient riverbed
EL PASO, Texas — The wild waters of the Rio Grande have not flowed freely through the Rio Bosque wetland since 1943.
After being left to run dry for most...
‘It’s a different lake now’: As Lake Powell drops, an iconic marina chases deeper...
Titus Crawford spent four days calling Lake Powell boaters this spring. After a record low snowpack and off-the-charts March heat, the reservoir was on track to dip so low...
Fish out of water on the Colorado River
With drought and high temperatures putting unprecedented pressure on water users throughout Colorado, from cities to agriculture, there’s one segment that can be affected first — and maybe worst...
Glen Canyon Dam faces its existential moment
PAGE, Ariz. – In the span of U.S. history certain years are turning points, milestones in the nation’s story. 1776. 1865. 1929. 1968. Circumstance and consequence conspire to make...
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...
The driest year revisited: Five takeaways from 2002 for today’s Colorado River
The Colorado River basin has been here before.
This year’s historic winter of low snow might feel novel. But recent years give some insight into just how dry the West’s...