Western Water

Negotiations over the water supply for 40 million people are hinged on how you interpret the words "will not cause," written into the century-old Colorado River Compact.

Cities around Phoenix are spending billions to develop water infrastructure. Local leaders say it's a necessary step as the Colorado River shrinks and groundwater dries up.

State, federal and tribal leaders met in Boulder, Colo. to talk about the Colorado River's next chapter. They don't appear close to an agreement.

Some experts say the System Conservation Pilot Program, or SCPP, is costly and may not be the most effective way to save Colorado River water.

The Gila River Indian Tribe (GRIC) in Arizona said it does not support the Lower Basin's proposal for post-2026 river management, adding a new layer to complicated negotiations.

The seven states that use water from the Colorado River have proposed competing plans for how it should be managed after 2026. Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming have one plan in mind. California, Arizona and Nevada have a different idea. The states primarily disagree about how to account for climate change and how to release water from Lake Powell.

Water negotiators from states around the Southwest said they are planning to submit separate proposals to the Bureau of Reclamation about managing the Colorado River after 2026.

Dendrochronologists found that high temperatures in the 21st century make the current drought unprecedented compared to other dry periods around the Colorado River across the past 500 years.

The hydropower company Nature and People First had proposed a "pumped storage" project in the Black Mesa area. Indigenous advocates are celebrating the decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Water from the Shoshone hydropower plant near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, will be purchased by the Colorado River District. It's part of an expensive effort to keep water flowing to the farms, cities and rivers of Western Colorado, and away from fast-growing cities and towns around Denver.