Escalade bill leaves opponents scrambling for support, and tribal members divided.
Colorado River
Posted inArticles
New documentary offers a sharp look at the West’s water crisis
In ‘Killing the Colorado,’ people, not nature, are responsible for shortages.
Posted inArticles
The Colorado River’s unexpected carbon footprint
Flooding a dry riverbed restored vegetation, but released significant amounts of methane and carbon dioxide.
Posted inJuly 25, 2016: Salmon Power
New measures could reduce Glen Canyon Dam’s impact on the Grand Canyon — a bit
As long as the dam remains in place, impacts are inevitable.
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Why is an Estonian energy giant trying to revive failed Utah oil dreams?
There’s a new proposal to extract oil from shale, at great cost to the Colorado River Basin.
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Don’t just save the Grand Canyon. Save the wider region, too.
We think we’ve saved the Grand Canyon. We established a national park that is supposed to remain “forever unimpaired,” as the Park Service’s enabling legislation put it. But the Grand Canyon is so deeply enmeshed in a spider web of connections to its watershed that a lot of work needs to be done to keep […]
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Study finds surprising source of Colorado River water supply
More than half of the rivers in the Upper Colorado Basin originate as groundwater, USGS says.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Arizona fends off threats to water supplies
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is sticking by regulations and negotiating deals.
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Will the feds change course on Columbia River management?
In May, a judge struck down a fifth plan — and demanded a new approach.
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As Lake Mead sinks, states agree to more drastic water cuts
California, Arizona and Nevada are back in negotiations about the dwindling Colorado River water supply.
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Grand Canyon abolishes river district in response to sexual harassment allegations
The abrupt decision leaves the future of NPS river management up in the air.
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In Utah, a massive water project is gaining ground
The project could divert 86,000 acre-feet from Lake Powell to the retirement community of St. George.
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Grand Canyon park’s 15-year failure on sexual harassment
Interior Department investigation shows a history of harassment, hostility and retaliation.
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It’s time to let Lake Powell go
In today’s ‘new normal,’ there is simply not enough water to maintain both Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
Water hustle
Did one of Nevada’s top water regulators try to cash in on the drought?
Posted inOctober 12, 2015: The Rise of Lisa Murkowski
The Colorado River’s desalination plant is on its last legs
The obscure Paradox Valley Unit keeps the Colorado River’s salinity levels in check for farmers, but causes quakes upstream.
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Colorado’s water plan: an end to mega projects?
The latest draft of the plan sets strict guidelines for approving new diversions over the Rocky Mountains.
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Lake Mead watch: As the Colorado dries up, will tourism?
What dropping water levels could mean for the region’s recreation economy.
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Should the Bureau of Reclamation be abolished?
Former Reclamation Commissioner Daniel Beard tells how defunct water policy, and the bureau itself, contribute to drought.
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A progress report on the Colorado River pulse
Researchers are sifting through the impacts of last spring’s release.