western water

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 federal government is spending another $15.3 million to improve climate projections of extreme weather. That’s to help communities in the Mountain West and beyond prepare for future disasters brought on by climate change.

New research shows that climate change is causing mountain lakes to rapidly lose ice cover in the winter. That can harm the Mountain West region’s water quality – and native fish.

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 lakes in white communities are seven times more likely to have long-term monitoring data than lakes in communities of color. Researchers say that makes it hard to assess how safe the water is for those populations.

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 federal government is spending nearly $5 million to improve drought monitoring and forecasts in the West to help states, communities and farmers better plan and prepare for droughts.

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.

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.

For more than 20 years, the federal government has been monitoring drought conditions nationwide. A new study shows that the system is not keeping up with climate change, especially in the Mountain West region.