Colorado River

The seven states that use water from the Colorado River have proposed competing plans for how it should be managed after 2026. Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming have one plan in mind. California, Arizona and Nevada have a different idea. The states primarily disagree about the how to account for climate change and how to release water from Lake Powell.

Water negotiators from states around the Southwest said they are planning to submit separate proposals to the Bureau of Reclamation about managing the Colorado River after 2026.

A Native American tribe with one of the largest outstanding claims to water in the Colorado River basin is closing in on a settlement.

Dendrochronologists found that high temperatures in the 21st century make the current drought unprecedented compared to other dry periods around the Colorado River across the past 500 years.

A state water agency is buying up millions in water from the Colorado River and that move tells us a lot about water in the West and the community’s thirst for it. KUNC’s Alex Hager explains the high price tag today on In The NoCo.

The Bureau of Reclamation released a draft plan for releases from Glen Canyon Dam, which holds back Lake Powell. It's an effort to protect native humpback chub from smallmouth bass.

Water from the Shoshone hydropower plant near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, will be purchased by the Colorado River District. It's part of an expensive effort to keep water flowing to the farms, cities and rivers of Western Colorado, and away from fast-growing cities and towns around Denver.

Wednesday's study in the journal Nature finds a key threshold for the future of snowpacks in the Northern Hemisphere: 17.6 degrees. In places where the winter averages colder than that, often the snowpack survives because it's cold enough. But areas warmer than 17.6 degrees for a winter average, like the Upper Colorado River basin, tend to see their winter wonderland dreams melt.

The limited snowfall could have big implications for the Colorado River, which gets most of its water from snow in the Rocky Mountains.

When it comes to the Colorado River, reining in demand is top of mind for water managers. KUNC’s Alex Hager just traveled to Las Vegas to hear from the people shaping the river’s future. He tells us more today on In The NoCo.