groundwater

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to roll back federal coal ash cleanup rules, raising concerns about groundwater contamination at dozens of coal plants and waste dumps across the Mountain West.

Disputes over water are becoming more common across the Mountain West as populations grow and supplies tighten. Now, a coalition of counties, ranchers and water advocates in Utah and Nevada is appealing federal approval of a groundwater pipeline project in southern Utah.

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.

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.

A new approach to addressing water scarcity is underway — one that turns farmland into projects that benefit both people and the environment. Researchers say parched Mountain West states could learn from it.

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.

For decades, hydrologists believed most spring snowmelt rapidly enters rivers and streams. But a new study from the University of Utah shows that most of it spends years as groundwater before it spills into reservoirs – new research that could help western water managers and farmers better plan each year.

Decades of drought and overpumping are draining groundwater tables across the West. Now, some states are buying farmers’ water rights to free up supplies – and plenty of farmers are ready to sell.

The race for lithium is heating up in Nevada. There are more than 80 lithium projects proposed for the state's public lands, but our arid environment comes with limitations.