By Jesse Bedayn
The Associated Press/ Report for America
Utah officials have pushed the Great Salt Lake to the brink of an ecological collapse because they allowed upstream water to be diverted for decades to farmers growing alfalfa, hay and other crops, according to a lawsuit file...
Biggest reservoirs at just 36% capacity; negotiators race toward long-term fix


By Elise Schmelzer
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Federal officials on Tuesday temporarily eased Colorado River water use restrictions due to a “lucky” year of increased precipitation, but drought and overuse remain a...
The Denver Post Editorial
Running along Colorado’s western border with Utah is a secret ecosystem on the edge of a vast desert landscape. Red sandstone rocks give way to lush cottonwood valleys, endless plateaus are covered with ancient piñon pines and aspen groves that shelter elk and ...
Trillions of gallons lost annually
By Seth Borenstein
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON>> Climate change’s hotter temperatures and society’s diversion of water have been shrinking the world’s lakes by trillions of gallons of water a year since the early 1990s, a new study find...
By Conrad Swanson
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Billions of gallons of water are rushing this week out of the Blue Mesa Reservoir on Colorado’s Western Slope, through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and ultimately into the Colorado River.
For the first time in a few years, Colorado has had enough wate...
The Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.>> Six Western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut their use, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline passed.
California — with the largest allocation o...
Can the West’s lifeline be saved?
Experts offer eight possible solutions, from desalination to cloud seeding and growth management

By Conrad Swanson
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Conditions on the drying Colorado River are worsening faster than expected. States can’t agree on how to divide ...
BOULDER CO
By Amy Bounds
Daily Camera
Fourth-graders at Boulder’s Columbine Elementary have a lot to say about flood mitigation for Goose Creek, which runs through the neighborhood near the school.
They’re giving presentations this week after partnering with Growing Up Boulder, Classrooms for Cl...
By Gillian Flaccus
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, ORE.>> U.S. regulators approved a plan Thursday to demolish four dams on a California river and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat that would be the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world whe...
By Becca Lawton
Writers on the Range
An old river-running motto says, “Old boaters never die, they just get a little dinghy.” And some never lose their passion for keeping rivers wild.
Consider California’s Stanislaus River. In the 1970s, people of all ages and abilities reveled in running its 13...
ENVIRONMENT
Drought snarls river transit
By Michael Phillis, Jim Salter and Jeff Roberson
The Associated Press
ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER>> Adam Thomas starts harvesting soybeans on his Illinois farm when the dew burns off in the morning. This year, dry weather accelerated the work, allow...
By Felicia Fonseca and Kathleen Ronayne
The Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ.» The Interior Department announced Friday that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the once-m...
Michael Hirtzer and Diego Lasarte
Bloomberg
The logjam of thousands of barges and boats backed up along the Mississippi River because of extremely low water levels showed some signs of easing Monday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said an entire queue of vessels that was stuck at Stack Island after ships s...
Federal deadline passes without a deal to cut water use; what now?
By Conrad Swanson The Denver Post
Trillions of gallons of water must be saved from the drying Colorado River to avoid the worst-case scenario brought on by drought, climate change and overuse, federal officials announced this summe...
By Lindsay Whitehurst
The Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY » The largest natural lake west of the Mississippi is shrinking past its lowest levels in recorded history, raising fears about toxic dust, ecological collapse and economic consequences. But the Great Salt Lake may have some new a...
Fisherman, 80, notches victory in legal battle against AG and landowners
By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post
Colorado’s Court of Appeals has cleared the way for 80-year-old fisherman Roger Hill to fight for his right to fish in peace on his favorite stretch of the Arkansas River as it flows down from...
By Daniel Craig McCool
The Conversation
The Colorado River is a vital lifeline for the arid U.S. Southwest. It supplies water to seven states, Mexico, 29 Indian reservations and millions of acres of irrigated farmland. The river and its tributaries support 16 million jobs and provi...
By David A. Lieb
The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. » States will soon be flooded with federal money to address a pent-up need to repair, improve or remove thousands of aging dams across the U.S., including some that could inundate towns or neighborhoods if they fail.
The roughly $3...
By Mead Gruver
The Associated Press
SARATOGA, WYO. » The North Platte River in southern Wyoming has been so low in places lately that a toddler could easily wade across and thick mats of olive-green algae grow in the lazy current.
Just more than two years ago, workers stack...
**Este artículo se puede encontrar en español**Years of reduced inflows, along with drought and a warming climate, have caused the Sea to shrink, exposing dry lakebed -- or playa -- that sends clouds of irritating dust towards surrounding communities, causing increased rates of respir...
