A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.
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 sea level. That is the water-level elevation at which hydropower generating capacity at Hoover Dam, the largest in the Colorado River basin, will be cut by 70 percent. […]
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As river outfitters brace for a low-water season, a glampground on the Colorado River is betting big
An outfitter who starts trips in Parachute has partnered with a boat-in campsite in De Beque and they say while freeflowing rivers will drop over the summer, the dam--release-controlled stretch of the Colorado they run will be fine
Megadrought on the Colorado River has put the dam in a precarious position.
The post Glen Canyon Dam dances with deadpool appeared first on High Country News.
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Federal water managers looking for a 20- to 30-year deal are punting with a shorter-term proposal as river negotiations between states continue to flounder
BOULDER, Colo.—The federal government will impose a 10-year operating framework for managing water use in the Colorado River Basin by the end of this summer if the seven states that rely on the river cannot come to an agreement before then, said Scott Cameron, acting commissioner for the Bureau of Reclamation, at a water conference […]
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Governor’s order directs the state to reduce water use and strongly encourages all Coloradans to do the same.
Another warm, arid winter could leave Colorado River reservoirs nearly dry. That is one of the projections a group of Colorado River experts released Monday, building on a previous report released last September assessing the future of the waterway’s federally managed dams under different hydrological scenarios. The new report forecasted the impacts of another dry […]
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A Western Slope coalition has been working to buy the $99 million water rights at Shoshone Power Plant for years. They thought they had the money in 2025 — then it was frozen.
Federal and state approaches to managing the Colorado River – as well as land and wildlife – reflect a lack of experience.
The post Treat water like family, not profit appeared first on High Country News.
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US Plan To Allocate Water From The Colorado River Will Severely Impact California, Arizona, & Nevada
Crunch time has come for communities that rely on water from the Colorado River. California, Arizona, and Nevada will be directly affected.
The post US Plan To Allocate Water From The Colorado River Will Severely Impact California, Arizona, & Nevada appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Members of Congress in Texas and Wyoming tout the bills as protecting energy security, but opponents say they amount to a corporate handout that will cost taxpayers billions and harm human and environmental health.
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Farmers worry as the Colorado River slows to a trickle and data centers compete for a scarce water supply
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In Mount Garfield Middle School’s crash course in Colorado River water use, students seek new engineering solutions to the most stubborn problems.
The federal government ordered Flaming Gorge water released and cuts to Lake Powell releases, to prevent collapse.
The post Emergency plans for the Colorado River buy time, not solutions appeared first on High Country News.
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Extremely dry winter and low streamflows are pushing state and federal officials to take emergency actions for the first time since 2022
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Federal and state officials rush to figure out how to move water between reservoir savings accounts to stabilize the supply for 40 million people in a parched river basin.
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As a changing climate bakes and dries up the Colorado River, the seven basin states can’t agree on how to share the declining water resources.
The post The Wild Wild Western Water Wars appeared first on The American Prospect.
From the Cascades to the San Juans, the nearly snowless winter wasn’t the same everywhere.
The post The West’s snow drought meant record dryness — but also record flooding appeared first on High Country News.
From the Cascades to the San Juans, the nearly snowless winter wasn’t the same everywhere.
The post The West’s snow drought meant record dryness — but also record flooding appeared first on High Country News.
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Water users in the Colorado Basin deserve a modern allocation system. Australia has a blueprint that is thriving.
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Western communities are pulling an assortment of legal levers to try to protect the Colorado River from escalating threats, climate change and overuse
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As water battle heats up across the Southwest, the next year will be the most fascinating, and litigious, in the history of the Colorado River
Officials were already sounding the alarm bells in early March across the Western United States after a winter with historically low snowpacks, which supplies water for communities as it slowly melts throughout the spring and summer. Then came the heat wave. As I reported last week, a high-pressure system brought early-season heat to the region, […]
Critical negotiations about the future of the Colorado River took a two-week hiatus last month after the seven states in the basin missed a key Valentine’s Day deadline for striking a deal, New Mexico’s water negotiator said Thursday. Estevan López said talks resumed March 2, and the upper and lower basin states are using a […]
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When members of the Colorado River Water Users Association, or CRWUA, descended on Caesars Palace for their annual conference in December, few showed much enthusiasm for Las Vegas’s popular diversions. Attendees mostly bypassed the slots and roulette tables, the magic shows and nightclubs. The sole planned excursion on offer—an early morning jaunt to Hoover Dam—was the definition of a busman’s…
From low-flow nozzles to baling hay at night, see how farmers are adapting to less water.
The post A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change appeared first on High Country News.
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The multibillion-dollar industry is raking in both criticisms and money as people try to make fast money by betting on real-world events
The sluggish Colorado River negotiations have entered a new phase: Long and fiery letter writing. Politicians, water negotiators and environmental groups recently submitted hundreds of pages of comments on the Interior Department’s playbook for how to manage the waterway. There are currently five possible options to deal with the river in the absence of a […]
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Some experts say, with negotiations at an impasse, this new concept could encourage less water use. Others say not so fast.
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