Scientists Warned of a Salton Sea Disaster. No One Listened.
California’s Salton Sea offers a tableau of dead wildlife, toxic dust, and neglect. It was long in the making.
Once ‘paradise,’ parched Colorado valley grapples with arsenic in water
Decades of climate change-driven drought, combined with the overpumping of aquifers, is making the valley desperately dry — and appears to be intensifying the levels of heavy metals in drinking water.
Renegade rancher
40 million people rely on the Colorado River system for water and power. But after 20 years of drought, the river basin is running low. For the Water Desk,...
How Hudbay’s Santa Rita mining will impact Southern Arizona’s waterways
The proposed Copper World Complex mine is carving roads and berms that will impact wildlife and waterflow.
Federal, state officials promise more tribal inclusion in Colorado River negotiations
Tribes say structural inclusion is key
New study shows Durango’s water supplies declining dramatically as climate change, drought hit home
A new study finds that Durango can no longer depend solely on direct flow from the Florida and Animas rivers for a reliable supply of water.
Saving a river
In the arid Southwest, where water scarcity often divides competing interests, an innovative approach could become the model for future cooperation.
Brad Hicks shows you how a river is being...
An Arizona water story where ranchers, environmentalists and developers are collaborating
A nonprofit trust is in the middle of a five-phase campaign to purchase and protect Sopori Creek and Farm and its larger watershed and habitat.
Upper Colorado River states add muscle as decisions loom on the shrinking river’s future
Upper basin states seek added leverage to protect their river shares amid difficult talks with California and the lower basin
Farmers weigh tough choices as uncertain water future looms
With unpredictable water resources, farmers in New Mexico must gamble in order to keep their agricultural production viable.