Colorado River

Six of the seven states that use water from the Colorado River proposed a way for the federal government to cut back on water use and protect dropping water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

The Water Hub, an organization centered on water justice, led a briefing with a team of panelists to share local solutions as the Colorado River faces historic drought.

The Colorado River's foundational agreement is 100 years old this month. And while the document among seven western states was groundbreaking for its time, it's currently left the southwest to grapple with a massive gap between water supply and demand.

In Page, Arizona, a shrinking Lake Powell is causing problems for the local water utility. A short-term fix is underway, but Page says it needs more money for a backup.

Federal officials say they are ready to have a “candid conversation” about accounting for water lost to evaporation in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin. They are giving states until the end of 2024 to prepare for what would amount to a significant cut in annual water allocations to users in Nevada, California and Arizona.

A reckoning has come for cities and farms in the desert Southwest that were built to rely on the Colorado River.

Cities in the arid Southwest are investing in water reuse technology, keeping more water in the system and bolstering drinking supplies in an area hit hard by drought.

Water from Colorado’s Blue Mesa reservoir was sent to Lake Powell in the summer of 2021. It was an emergency move to help the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. keep producing hydropower.

Water agencies from Arizona, Nevada, California and the federal government agreed to a multimillion dollar plan to keep more water in Lake Mead. The deal was signed at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas.

State water managers and the federal government say they will include tribes in upcoming Colorado River policymaking negotiations for the first time.