High Country News

Silenced Springs?

Rare and tiny spring-dwelling creatures are threatened by everything from invasive species to Las Vegas' plan to pump groundwater from a rural part of Nevada.

by J. Madeleine Nash, Oct 05, 2009
Vegas forges ahead on pipeline plan

The Southern Nevada Water Authority is slowly removing obstacles in the way of its plan to pump water from the Great Basin and ship it to Las Vegas.

by Matt Jenkins, Oct 05, 2009
When it comes to importing water, nothing seems too extreme

A new proposal to send Mississippi River water out West is both insane and entirely possible, given the outrageous water schemes of the past.

by Craig Rowe, Sep 29, 2011
Big water projects should make Westerners nervous

Demand for water is falling, so why are we going forward with giant water projects?

by Sharlene Leurig, Jan 24, 2013
Audio: Big threats to small ecosystems

Freelance science writer Madeleine Nash talks to Marty Durlin about the vulnerable springs of the Great Basin, and the threats they face from invasive species and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

by Marty Durlin, Oct 09, 2009
How low will Vegas go for water?

Patricia Mulroy of the Southern Nevada Water Authority has ambitious plans for getting yet more water for Las Vegas from intake pipes in Lake Mead

by Matt Jenkins, Jun 13, 2005
Squeezing Water from a Stone

With only a tiny share of the Colorado River available to it, Las Vegas decides to get the water it needs from elsewhere in the state – underneath the rural high-desert Basin and Range country

by Matt Jenkins, Sep 15, 2005
‘Tributary issue' could force a seven-stateshowdown

Nevada is fighting with the four Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico over its right to use water from the Colorado River’s tributaries, in particular the Virgin and the Muddy rivers

by Matt Jenkins, Sep 19, 2005
Las Vegas needs to let the market decide where the water goes

The only reason Las Vegas has managed to thrive in the scorching desert is that its water is subsidized and its use is disconnected from the real cost.

by Andrew B. Wilson, Jan 03, 2012
Running on empty in Sin City

Although many rural Nevadans are unhappy with Las Vegas’ plans for a giant groundwater project, the six other states that rely on water from the Colorado River are hoping the Nevada project goes ahead.

by Matt Jenkins, Sep 18, 2006