Drought

Across the Mountain West, groundwater is the unseen force keeping springs flowing, wetlands green, and desert plants alive. Now, a new interactive tool is making that hidden water easier to see.

As much of the Mountain West faces another dry winter, researchers are turning their attention underground to the water many communities rely on but rarely see.

Across the Mountain West, where drought and shrinking reservoirs are putting pressure on already limited water supplies, decisions about who uses how much water often hinge on imperfect data. A nonprofit collaboration called OpenET hopes to change that.

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 shows Nevada’s groundwater — and the ecosystems that rely on it — is under growing strain. Researchers have mapped out solutions that could help and serve as a guide for other Mountain West states.

AI data centers use large amounts of water for cooling. And many are being built in the drought-stricken Mountain West, sparking concerns over water supplies.

A new report finds that rising temperatures are making droughts across the Mountain West and Southwest even worse — and longer-lasting.

A new study finds the iconic whitebark pine, which spans several Mountain West states, could lose most of its habitat to climate change in the coming decades. Scientists say the loss could impact wildlife – and people.

For hundreds of years, Hispanic communities across the Southwest have relied on these networks of hand-dug irrigation ditches to water their crops and feed their families. Now, these ancient traditions are under pressure from a changing climate.

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.