The Water Desk

The Colorado River flows out of Lake Mead on December 16, 2021. President Donald Trump paused billions of dollars designed to help protect the flow of the river, including a program that paid farmers to leave some water in Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir.

Questions and confusion as Trump pauses key funding for shrinking Colorado River

Alex Hager

President Donald Trump froze billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act that was designed to protect water supplies for cities, farms and tribes.

A personal watercraft speeds across Lake Powell on July 16, 2024. The fate of the nation's second-largest reservoir hangs in the balance as states that use the Colorado River remains stuck in a standoff about how to manage it in the future.

Government

White House urges Colorado River states to pick up the pace of negotiations

Alex Hager

The Biden Administration's Interior Department released proposals for managing the river in an apparent attempt to nudge the states toward agreement.

The Colorado River flows through El Chausse, a restoration site in northeastern Mexico, on October 26, 2024.

Environment

In the dry Colorado River Delta, the future of these green oases hangs in the balance

Alex Hager

The Colorado River Delta is almost entirely dry, but environmentalists are hoping they can keep getting water to restore habitats after a U.S.-Mexico agreement expires in 2026.

Tourists visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on November 1, 2022. The portion of the Colorado River which runs through the canyon is receiving a boost of water designed to rebuild beaches and sandbars.

Environment

Colorado River states are separated by a ‘giant chasm’ in negotiations

Alex Hager

Arizona's top water official said states are still unable to agree on new rules for sharing water after 2026.

The sun sets on Lake Powell near Bullfrog Marina in Utah on July 15, 2024. The Colorado River's reservoirs have shrunk to record lows in recent years, and negotiators are tasked with decreasing demand on the shrinking river. Those negotiators say an upcoming Trump presidency is likely to alter the course of current talks.

Environment

How will a second Trump presidency shape the Colorado River?

Alex Hager

Water managers across the West say they do not expect a new Trump administration will alter post-2026 Colorado River talks.

The Crystal River flows past a stream gauge at the fish hatchery just south of Carbondale. This location has nearly dried up in late summer in recent years due to drought, climate change and senior water users’ upstream diversions.

Environment

In dry years, Colorado’s Crystal River runs at a trickle — but why?

Heather Sackett

Drought and relentless demand converge in iconic river basin.