water management

A new analysis shows more than two-thirds of data centers built – or in development – since 2022 are in drought-prone areas, including parts of the Mountain West. Experts warn this could strain water supplies for cities and farmers.

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.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last week ordered all national parks to “remain open and accessible.” The directive comes after about 1,000 National Park Service employees were fired. In March, a federal judge ordered them – and thousands of other laid-off federal workers – to be reinstated, but the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked that order.

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.

A new scientific analysis shows spring is getting warmer across the U.S. because of climate change. Some of the fastest-warming cities are in the Mountain West, threatening to shrink water supplies and increase wildfire risk.

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.

More than 100 years ago, a professor in the Mountain West invented a tool and technique to measure the amount of water in a snowpack — a discovery that still lives on to this day.

New research shows less snow is falling in many parts of the U.S., including the Mountain West, a region that relies heavily on snow.

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.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently sided with a couple battling federal officials over plans to build a house on a wetland in northern Idaho. Some call the ruling a victory for property rights, but its consequences extend to wetlands and waterways nationwide.