water conservation

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.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spending $60 million to help tribal farmers in the Mountain West use less water amid drought – and still grow their crops.

The Interior Department is spending another $90 million on restoring rivers and wetlands across the Western U.S., including several in the Mountain West region.

A new study shows just how much climate change is shrinking water supplies for Western farmers. But its authors also have some ideas of what they could do to adapt.

A new study reveals how climate change and irrigating crops are affecting river flows in the Western U.S.

Many farmers across the Mountain West grow alfalfa, which is dried into hay and fed to beef and dairy cattle. But it requires a lot more water than most crops. Now, researchers are working on new technologies to reduce the amount farmers use. Still, some say allowing them to grow such a thirsty crop in the arid West is the problem.

Despite recent snowstorms, the Mountain West region continues to be affected by historic drought. That’s why ranchers are looking for ways to cope with dry conditions.

As years of drought and overpumping have reduced groundwater supplies across the West, officials and conservation groups in one part of our region are working to address the problem.

The U.S. Department of Interior is spending another $51 million on water projects across the West. A majority of those funds – about $30 million – will flow to the Mountain West region.

Though historic snowfall eased drought conditions, threats of extended dry periods don’t let up in the arid West. That’s why water managers are working on creating sustainable water supplies, including turning the water that flushes down people’s toilets into drinking water from their taps.