Colorado River cuts won’t make Phoenix taps go dry, but the backup plan will...
Under the searing desert sun, Max Wilson watched water flow through a canal in north Phoenix. This unassuming strip of blue next to a...
If Colorado River compact heads to Supreme Court, ‘everybody loses,’ experts say
The drama engulfing the seven states in the Colorado River Basin could take another, more perilous turn in a few weeks.
Water experts are warning...
At Glen Canyon Dam, Trump administration privileges hydropower over ecosystems
In the struggling Colorado River basin, where water is scarce, the White House has signaled its priorities for how to use the remaining gallons.
Even...
‘Pain and suffering’: What the feds’ Lake Powell proposal means for Utah and other...
This story was originally published by The Salt Lake Tribune on August, 12, 2026.
After years of analysis and stalled negotiations, the federal government...
The clock is ticking for New Mexico to cut Rio Grande water use
Photos by Paul Ratje. Reporting supported by the Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder.
HATCH, N.M.—After 13 years, Texas and New Mexico have...
‘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...
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...
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,...
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...
A record warm winter could send Lake Powell to a historic low. Flaming Gorge...
A cream-colored band lines the orange sandstone walls that rise above the blue-green waters of Lake Powell. The so-called “bathtub rings,” these chalky layers...