Water
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.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Battle to Stop Strip Mining in the Colorado River Basin
By Jamie Sudler | Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Eight environmental groups have filed suit to halt a massive oil shale project planned on the Colorado/Utah border that would take a lot of water out of the Colorado River Basin.
Squeezed by Drought & Development, Citrus Shrinks in Arizona Economy
By Sarabeth Henne | Thursday, May 23, 2019
The USDA reported the number of citrus operations in Arizona fell about 40% from 2012 to 2017.
Southern Arizona Farmers Again Ask for $20 Million for Water Infrastructure
By Bret Jaspers | Friday, May 17, 2019
Farmers in Pinal County are again pushing for an extra $20 million in the state budget for wells and other groundwater infrastructure, following their allotment from the Drought Contingency Plan.
Arizona Farmers Can Legally Grow Industrial Hemp, But Will They Take the Risk?
By Carissa Wigginton | Tuesday, May 14, 2019
The crop, which has attracted many with its water-friendly claims, will be legal to grow in Arizona this summer. At least 40 other states are establishing similar hemp programs.
Tribes’ Role in Drought Contingency Plan Marks Turning Point for Inclusion
By Lillian Donahue | Wednesday, April 17, 2019
A multi-state drought plan to preserve water levels in the Colorado River Basin had critical input from Arizona’s tribes, setting a new precedent for water rights in Indian Country.
Change to Clean Water Act Would Have Repercussions, Even in the Arid West
By Bret Jaspers | Monday, April 15, 2019
The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have proposed a reversal of Obama-era definitions in the 1972 Clean Water Act.