Colorado River - Inside Climate News

Water-Use Restrictions Follow Snow Drought and Heat Wave in the Western U.S.

From shutting off sprinklers to closing ski resorts, communities and business owners are adapting to parched conditions out West. Things could get much worse, experts say.

By Kiley Price

Sunlight glimmers on the Colorado River near Page, Ariz. on Nov. 2, 2022. Credit: Alex Hager/KUNC

Colorado River Negotiations Resume With Focus on Stopgap Measures

Scott Franz, KUNC

Early morning sunlight hits canyon walls on Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on July 10, 2025 in Page, Arizona. Lake Powell, a critical Colorado River reservoir, is only at a third of its capacity as drought conditions in the Southwest worsen. Credit: Rebecca Noble via Getty Images

States Blast Federal Playbook of Potential Colorado River Options

Scott Franz, KUNC

Colorado River Negotiators Are Nearly Out of Time and Snowpack

By Jake Bolster, Wyatt Myskow

A River That Millions Rely on for Water Is on the Brink. A Deal to Save It Isn’t.

By Wyatt Myskow, Blanca Begert, Jake Bolster

Colorado River Water Is Too Cheap, Particularly for Agricultural Users

By Wyatt Myskow

Can Arizona Maintain Its Drought Response as Water and Money Dry Up?

By Wyatt Myskow

Jace Lankow and Zanna Stutz measure a beaver dam in Glen Canyon on Sept. 16. Environmental advocates say the return of beavers to the canyon is a sign that nature is thriving in areas that were once submerged by Lake Powell. Credit: Alex Hager/KUNC

As Lake Powell Recedes, Beavers are Building Back

By Alex Hager, KUNC

Boulder City, Nev., an original Hoover Dam power contractor, now receives additional electric power from the Townsite Solar Facility, located a few miles southwest of the city. Credit: Brett Walton/Circle of Blue

Solar Growth Cushions Colorado River Hydropower Declines

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

Wyoming’s Draft Pilot Conservation Program ‘a Good Starting Point’ but There’s Room for Improvement

By Jake Bolster

As Colorado River Nears Collapse, It Faces Leadership, Transparency ‘Crisis,’ Environmentalists Warn

By Wyatt Myskow

Water levels sit low in Lake Powell near Bullfrog, Utah, on Sept. 15. Negotiations to manage the shrinking reservoir and the rest of the Colorado River system may be more difficult without federal leadership. Credit: Alex Hager/KUNC

Nominee for Top Federal Water Role Withdraws Amid Pushback from Some Colorado River States

By Alex Hager, KUNC

‘No One Comes Out of This Unscathed’: Experts Warn That Colorado River Use Needs Cutting Immediately

By Wyatt Myskow

The Colorado River flows near Parker, Ariz. The Colorado River Indian Tribes want to give the river the same legal rights as a person, taking millennia of cultural values and putting them into law. Credit: Alex Hager/KUNC

The Colorado River Is This Tribe’s ‘Lifeblood,’ Now They Want To Give It the Same Legal Rights as a Person

By Alex Hager, KUNC

Amid Tense Negotiations Over the Colorado River’s Future, Arizona Mayors Unite Against ‘Threat’ to State’s Water

By Wyatt Myskow

Can Colorado Recycle Toxic Water from Oil and Gas Drilling Without Increasing Emissions?

Story by Jake Bolster, photos by Lee Pruitt

Southwestern Drought Likely to Continue Through 2100, Research Finds

By Wyatt Myskow

Colorado River Basin Aquifers Are Declining Even More Steeply Than the River, New Research Shows

By Wyatt Myskow

Gila River Tribes Intend to Float Solar Panels on a Reservoir. Could the Technology Help the Colorado River?

By Jake Bolster

Keep Environmental Journalism Alive

ICN provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going.