Water
Lawn Be Gone: Major Western Cities Pay Residents to Ditch Grass to Save Water
By Jamie Sudler | Friday, July 26, 2019
Many water providers have been offering rebates to residents willing to lose their lawns. So why are two major Western cities punting on the idea?
Utah Presses Forward on Lake Powell Pipeline Despite Strains on Colorado River
By Judy Fahys | Friday, July 12, 2019
The Colorado River is dwindling and the West is getting warmer and drier, but communities all along the river basin are pushing for costly water projects.
Ranchers Want Dams to Protect Against Drought, But Could They Worsen Climate Change?
By Melodie Edwards | Thursday, July 11, 2019
Wetlands on undammed waterways can cover as little as 2% of the landscape but hold 15% to 30% of the carbon. But if reservoirs hold all the water, those riparian areas will dry up and lose the ability to hold carbon.
On Stressed Colorado River, States Test How Many More Diversions Watershed Can Bear
By Luke Runyon | Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Denver Water wants to increase the size of one dam by 131 feet and fill the human-made lake with more water from the headwaters of the Colorado River via a tunnel that traverses the Continental Divide.
City Uses Reclaimed Water to Bring ‘Dead’ Arizona River Back to Life
By Melissa Robbins | Friday, July 5, 2019
The Santa Cruz River west of downtown Tucson is receiving treated wastewater under a Heritage Project meant to restore riparian areas and replenish aquifers.
Intense Drought Blamed for California Forest Die-Off, Climate Change Could Make it Worse
By Jacob Margolis | Wednesday, July 3, 2019
New research published in Nature Geoscience says that years of extreme conditions can be directly tied to a 55% increase in the number of tree deaths.
Lower Colorado River Basin Can Still Expect Water Shortage Next Year
By Bret Jaspers | Friday, June 28, 2019
Why? Well, the new Drought Contingency Plan defines different “tiers” of shortage. The news comes despite the plentiful snowpack on the Rocky Mountains.
Tempest in a Teapot: Can California Better Use Winter Storms to Refill its Aquifers?
By Felicity Barringer | Monday, June 10, 2019
To ease the pain of drought and new policy, engineers are looking to harness an unconventional source of water: the torrential storms that blast across the Pacific Ocean and soak California.