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Rain, snow won’t be enough to end West’s drought
The West has been slammed by wet weather this winter: An “atmospheric river” has pummeled California with weeks of heavy rain and the Rocky Mountains are getting buried with snow. That’s good news for the Colorado River, but climate scientists say the 40 million people who use the river’s water should take the good news with a grain of salt.
Recent snowfalls may slow water level decline at Lake Mead
Hefty snowfalls that fed the Colorado River in recent weeks may slow the water level decline of Lake Mead on the Nevada-Arizona border, according to some experts.
In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation
Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) powerhouse of the West flows through the region's dams, reservoirs and open-air canals.
AP Exclusive: Emails reveal tensions in Colorado River talks
Competing priorities, outsized demands and the federal government's retreat from a threatened deadline stymied a deal last summer on how to drastically reduce water use from the parched Colorado River, emails obtained by The Associated Press show.
Arizona’s alfalfa is essential, water crisis solution that leads to food supply issue is no fix
Concerns over the Colorado River have led the everyday Arizonan to think about water in ways they haven’t before. As a result, much has been made as of late about growing “thirsty crops” in Arizona’s desert climate. It doesn’t take long to find an opinion or editorial about how farming alfalfa is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the water system in Arizona, but this rhetor[...]
Managing rural groundwater use goal of state official
Will new urgency around Arizona’s water woes lead to more action on the decades-old issue? Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said he thinks so, and there’s a few specific things he has in mind for the next few years under new Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Neighbors sue Arizona city to restore water cut in drought
Residents of a community just outside Scottsdale are feuding with the city they long depended on for water now that the city has cut off their supply, saying it needs to guarantee there is enough for its own residents amid a deep, long-lasting drought.
Vertical farm in Avondale promotes sustainability, technology, water conservation
Imagine a farm that grows crops on platforms in a controlled environment, uses 99% less water than a traditional farm and grows seasonal produce year-round – all without soil or anyone driving a tractor. This is the goal of OnePointOne, a 12,000-square-foot “vertical farm” in an Avondale industrial park. Water is an existential issue for Arizona, with the two major reservoirs on the Colorado[...]
Water reductions for new year may be just the beginning, experts say
Experts say few Arizona residents will notice any immediate change to the availability of water in their daily lives now that steep cuts are in effect on the amount of water the state can draw from the Colorado River. But that does not mean they can relax.
Arizona restricts farming to protect groundwater supply
The Arizona Department of Water Resources this week put a limit on the amount of land that can be watered, designating the Hualapai Valley as an irrigation non-expansion area. That means anyone who hasn't farmed more than 2 acres there during the past five years can't.
Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns
Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives, including some from Arizona, meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River.
As drought grinds on, Valley homeowners take advantage of xeriscape incentives
Because of cuts to Arizona’s water and the state’s climate conditions, homeowners should consider sustainable ways to use water, according to Warren Tenney, the executive director of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.
