colorado river

In the arid Mountain West, rivers are under growing pressure — from climate change, drought and rising demand for water. But new research from New Mexico suggests some river ecosystems may be more resilient than they appear.

A new report finds 2025 brought widespread drought, massive wildfires and destructive windstorms across several Mountain West states — and underscores how closely connected those disasters have become.

Cold temperatures have settled over much of the Mountain West this winter, but precipitation has been harder to come by, leaving large parts of the region unusually dry for late January.

Large farms in parts of the Colorado River Basin are paying little — and in some cases nothing — for federally supplied water, even as cities and residents are being asked to conserve, according to a new report.

A new study finds that human emissions are the main culprit behind the decades-long drought that ebbs and flows across the Western U.S. Scientists warn the drier pattern could become the new normal, with major implications for water supplies.

A new study shows climate change is causing the Earth’s supply of fresh water to quickly disappear. One of the world’s fastest-drying regions is the American Southwest, where future food supplies could be threatened.

Utah lawmakers have given the state more voice in negotiations over the Colorado and Bear rivers. The move, however, has some environmentalists concerned about the sensitive multi-state agreements that govern the rivers.

Farming and ranching in the Western U.S. sucks up 75% of the Colorado River basin’s water supply. A new analysis shows the federal government is paying these farmers billions in crop insurance, but not helping them adapt to climate change.

The Interior Department is spending nearly $85 million to help communities in the West tackle challenges brought on by drought, and many of the projects are in the Mountain West.

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.