Colorado River

Water-rich Gila River tribe near Phoenix flexes its political muscles in a drying West

The Gila River Indian Community near Phoenix has one of the largest shares of Colorado River water flowing through Arizona.

Tribes say their future is at stake as they push for Congress to consider Colorado River settlement

Native American tribes give unanimous approval to proposal securing Colorado River water

Proposed settlement is first step in securing Colorado River water for 3 Native American tribes

Plumbing problem at Glen Canyon Dam brings new threat to Colorado River system

Could dandelions or desert shrubs replace rubber?

Some researchers are looking into alternative crops as sources of domestic rubber as threats of disease, climate change and trade tensions mean that it would be a smart investment to work on growing and processing domestically. (Feb. 17) (AP Video by Joshua A. Bickel and Ross D. Franklin)

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Tijuana’s ever present struggle to access water

Cloud seeding grows in US West

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Body of New Mexico man recovered from Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park

Authorities say the body of a New Mexico man has been recovered from the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.

Tiny, endangered fish hinders California’s Colorado River conservation plan

Southern California’s Imperial Irrigation District supplies water to farmers who grow most of the nation’s winter vegetables.

States in Colorado River basin pitch new ways to absorb shortages but clash on the approach

U.S. states that draw water from the Colorado River basin are suggesting new ways to determine how to absorb shortages in supply. But they don’t agree on the approach.

Climate change, cost and competition for water drive settlement over tribal rights to Colorado River

A Native American tribe with one of the largest outstanding claims to water in the Colorado River basin is closing in on a settlement.

In rural Utah, concern over efforts to use Colorado River water to extract lithium

A company’s plan in southeast Utah to extract lithium is adding to an anxiety familiar in this part of the arid American West: how the project could affect water from the Colorado River.

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River

Federal officials say that conditions have improved on the Colorado River to the point that a three-state plan to reduce water use should keep the river basin on stable footing for several years.

Western states will not lose as much Colorado River water in 2024, despite long-term challenges

Federal officials said Tuesday they will ease water cuts for Western states reliant on the Colorado River next year.

US Interior Department chooses new water and science deputy to focus on drought resilience

The U.S. Interior Department has tapped an official with the federal government’s water management bureau to serve as a deputy assistant secretary for water and science.

Interior Department official with key role in Colorado River talks is stepping down

A senior Interior Department official who has played a key role in negotiations over the shrinking Colorado River will leave her job next month.

Supreme Court ruling complicates Navajo Nation’s fight for more water

A Supreme Court ruling this week will make it harder for the Navajo Nation to get water from the Colorado River.

Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation in Colorado River water rights case

The Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation in a dispute involving water from the drought-stricken Colorado River.

Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027

Federal water managers say they’ve begun a public process to shape rules to be enacted in 2027 to continue providing hydropower, drinking water and irrigation to farms, cities and tribes in seven U.S. states and Mexico.

Explainer: What does the latest Colorado River proposal mean for California, Arizona, Nevada?

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Facing the future with a dwindling Colorado River supply and intense pressure from the federal government, Arizona, California and Nevada have offered a plan to cut their water use significantly.

Breakthrough proposal would aid drought-stricken Colorado River as 3 Western states offer cuts

Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a deal to significantly cut their water use from the drought-stricken Colorado River over the next three years.

What might cuts to dwindling Colorado River mean for states?

The Biden administration floated two ideas this week for how Western states and Native American tribes could reduce their water use from the dwindling Colorado River.

Tribe, US officials reach deal to save Colorado River water

A Native American tribe in Arizona has reached a deal with the U.S. government not to use some of its Colorado River water rights in return for $150 million and funding for a pipeline project.

Feds spend $2.4 million on cloud seeding for Colorado River

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation granted $2.4 million Thursday for cloud seeding in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Feds want justices to end Navajo fight for Colo. River water

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide a critical water rights case in the arid Southwest. The Navajo Nation extends into three states, and 30% of people who live on the reservation don’t have access to running water.

Las Vegas water agency seeks power to limit residential use

Nevada lawmakers are considering a significant shift in water use for Las Vegas, one of the driest major metropolitan areas in the U.S.

In dry West, farmers balk at idling land to save water

With drought, climate change and overuse of the Colorado River leading to increasingly dire conditions in the West, the federal Bureau of Reclamation is looking at fallowing as a way to cut water use.

California releases its own plan for Colorado River cuts

California has released a plan outlining how it thinks states should reduce their reliance on the Colorado River.

California is lone holdout in Colorado River cuts proposal

Six Western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut water use in the basin. California is the holdout.

AP Exclusive: Emails reveal tensions in Colorado River talks

Competing priorities, outsized demands and the federal government’s retreat from a threatened deadline all combined to thwart a voluntary deal last summer on how to drastically cut water use from the parched Colorado River.

Body recovered from Arizona side of Colorado River now ID’d

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) — The body of a woman recovered from the Arizona side of the Colorado River has been identified, Bullhead City police said Thursday.

Biden signs water bills benefiting 3 tribes in Arizona

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A Native American tribe that has one of the largest and most secure rights to Colorado River water now has approval to lease some of it in Arizona, a state that’s been hardest hit by cuts to its water supply and is on a perpetual search for more.

Water bills for tribes in Arizona to head to President Biden

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Three bills that would improve access to water for some tribes in Arizona amid an unrelenting drought are now poised for President Joe Biden’s desk.

US Senate advances water bills for tribes in Arizona

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has advanced three bills that would improve access to water for some tribes in Arizona amid an unrelenting drought.

Conferees told Colorado River action ‘absolutely critical’

The word “crisis” ended a Colorado River conference that drew representatives from Southwest U.S. states, tribes and Mexico to Las Vegas this week.

More questions than answers at Colorado River water meetings

More questions than answers are surfacing at a conference in Las Vegas about what to do about projected shortages of Colorado River water relied upon by seven U.S. states, Native American tribes and Mexico.

Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns

Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for a conference in Las Vegas about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River.