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A new federal report shows that later this year the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs are likely to drop to levels not seen since they were filled.
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Critical April 1 snowpack readings once again spell trouble, and new studies show the warming climate is lengthening dry spells and shrinking the snowpack, even in winter.
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When it comes to water in the West, a lot of it is visible. Snow stacks up high in the mountains then eventually melts and flows down into valleys. It’s easy to see how heavy rains and rushing rivers translate into an abundance of available water. But another important factor of water availability is much harder to see.
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A showdown is looming on the Colorado River. The river’s existing management guidelines are set to expire in 2026. The states that draw water from it are about to undertake a new round of negotiations over the river’s future, while it’s facing worsening dry conditions due in part to rising temperatures.
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Since June 2020, a large proportion of Arizona's rivers, lakes and streams have not been protected by the Clean Water Act. That's due to a change to the federal rule the Trump administration made in 2019. The state relied on the landmark law to keep its arid streams free of pollution. But after the federal protections were limited, Arizona decided to come up with its own set of surface water quality standards.
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Residents of a tiny, unincorporated, coal town on Colorado’s Western Slope are pitted against billionaire mine owner Bill Koch in a fight for clean…
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One Sunday morning several years ago Dave Huhn got a call. He’s usually off work that day, but it was the height of irrigation season and decided to...
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The Colorado River is running low on water. The lifeline that slakes the thirst of 40 million southwestern residents is projected to hit a historic low...
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Towaoc Had No Running Water in the 1970s. Now it Does, and the Tribe Irrigates a Farm. What Changed?The gravel road that leads to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm and Ranch Enterprise winds through 11 miles of desert grass and dry brush. But 20 minutes’…
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The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe operates a large farm and ranch on its lands in Southwestern Colorado. It grows crops like alfalfa and artisan corn, and raises…