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Colorado River

All articles tagged with #colorado river

science6 days ago•86 min saved

Blue solar ponds glow beside Utah’s river in space photo

A 2017 astronaut photo from the ISS captures 23 bright-blue solar evaporation ponds spanning about 400 acres near Moab, Utah, used to refine potash (potassium chloride) mined nearby. The ponds’ colors reflect different evaporation stages and the dye added to speed sunlight absorption, gradually turning from blue to white/tan as potash crystals form. The image also touches on environmental concerns: potash mining yields waste that can affect nearby waterways, and the Colorado River appears green from suspended sediments in extended NASA imagery.

via Live Science|

#colorado-river #evaporation-ponds #moab

environment9 days ago•3 min saved

West on the Brink: Colorado River Crisis Could Trigger Broad Water Cuts

Record-low snowpack and rising demand push the Colorado River toward critical levels, with federal and Western states considering emergency water-saving measures and potential mandatory cuts that could affect farms, cities, and hydropower as a summer decision looms.

via CBS News|

#climate-change #colorado-river #drought

environment9 days ago•2 min saved

US eyes drastic Colorado River cuts for AZ, CA and NV amid drought

The Trump administration’s proposed 10-year plan could slash annual Colorado River deliveries to Arizona, California and Nevada by up to 3 million acre-feet (as much as 40%), with reductions evaluated biennially and final decisions due in June. Cuts would be guided by the river’s priority under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, potentially hitting the Central Arizona Project hard. The plan arises amid severe drought and ongoing disputes with upper-basin states, and follows separate voluntary-reduction proposals by the lower-basin states that require federal cooperation to take effect.

via The Guardian|

#arizona #california #colorado-river

environment11 days ago•34 min saved

US Plans Sweeping Colorado River Allocations Cuts Amid Drought and Overuse

Federal water managers are planning sweeping cuts to Colorado River allocations amid ongoing drought and overuse, affecting multiple states and water users across the basin with the aim of stabilizing reservoir levels and ensuring long-term supply, though the move is likely to spark political negotiation and impact farms, cities, and local economies.

via Yahoo|

#bureau-of-reclamation #colorado-river #drought

climate-and-environment11 days ago•4 min saved

US outlines 10-year Colorado River cuts to stabilize dwindling supplies

The Trump administration is drafting a 10-year framework that would mandate water reductions along the Colorado River—potentially up to 3 million acre-feet annually across California, Arizona, and Nevada—reassessed every two years. The plan, discussed with state leaders in Phoenix, aims to stabilize shrinking reservoir levels at Lake Mead and other bases amid ongoing drought and climate-change impacts, with a federal decision expected in the summer.

via Los Angeles Times|

#climate-and-environment #colorado-river #drought

environment16 days ago•19 min saved

Tiny fixes won’t avert the Colorado River crisis

The Colorado River faces a dire set of conditions with record-low snowpack and reservoirs nearing historic lows. A short-term plan by Arizona, California and Nevada aiming to save about 3.2 million acre-feet by 2028 is unlikely to break the deadlock or prevent a longer-term crisis, because meaningful change will require deeper, negotiated reforms to water use and rights across the Lower Basin as negotiations among Western states remain stalled.

via The Washington Post|

#climate-change #colorado-river #droughts

environment22 days ago•4 min saved

Lower Basin plan buys time with multi-state water cuts through 2028

Arizona, California and Nevada proposed voluntary cuts totaling 700,000–1,000,000 acre-feet through 2028 to bolster Lake Powell and Lake Mead, adding to earlier reductions for a total of over 3.2 million acre-feet through 2028. Framed as a bridge to buy time for longer-term negotiations and to avoid mandatory CAP cuts, the plan requires federal approval and signals openness to mediation with Upper Basin states.

via KJZZ|

#arizona #colorado-river #environment

climate-and-environment23 days ago•5 min saved

Southwest banks on two-year Colorado River cuts to avert looming shortages

California, Arizona and Nevada propose a two-year plan to cut more than 3.2 million acre-feet of Colorado River water through 2028, with Arizona taking the largest share (about 760,000 ac-ft per year, California 440,000 ac-ft, Nevada 50,000 ac-ft), as Lake Mead sits at 31% capacity and Lake Powell at 24% amid record-low snowpack, in a bid to stabilize the river while seven states continue talks on a longer-term deal.

via Los Angeles Times|

#climate-and-environment #colorado-river #drought

planet-earth1 month ago•71 min saved

Colorado River in a new reality: bold actions needed to avert urban water shortages

New research warns that even with aggressive cuts by major users (Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix), the Colorado River’s megadrought and record-low snowpack could push Lake Mead toward critical levels this summer, possibly about 20% full. Demand management and reuse help but cannot close the gap, requiring a wholesale overhaul of water rights and farming: renegotiating the Colorado River Compact, shifting agriculture to water-efficient crops and irrigation (drip), reducing high-water crops like alfalfa and cotton, and leveraging groundwater transfers to align supplies with shrinking demand.

via Live Science|

#agriculture #climate-change #colorado-river

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Ancient Bidahochi Lake Revealed the Colorado River’s Hidden Route to the Grand Canyon

A new Science study using detrital zircon dating shows the Colorado River flowed into Bidahochi Lake about 6.6 million years ago before spilling into the Grand Canyon, solving the 5-million-year gap in its history and highlighting how the river helped connect western ecosystems.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#bidahochi-lake #colorado-river #detrital-zircon-geochronology

environment1 month ago•72 min saved

Powell power boost from river releases comes with downstream costs

In the drought-stricken Colorado River basin, officials plan to release more water into Lake Powell to boost hydroelectric generation. The move could improve Powell’s electrical output in the near term, but it trades increased power supply for reduced water deliveries or higher costs for downstream users in California, Nevada and the lower basin, underscoring the tough compromises of river management during continued drought.

via AP News|

#colorado-river #drought #environment

environment1 month ago•39 min saved

Emergency federal plan aims to stabilize Lake Powell amid Colorado River drought

With Lake Powell at about 36% of capacity amid record-low snowpack, the Trump administration announced an emergency plan to avert a power and water shortage on the Colorado River. It will release 660,000 to 1,000,000 acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir over the next year to lift Powell, while reducing Powell’s downstream releases by around 19% (about 1.5 million acre-feet) to push more water toward Lake Mead and downstream users in California, Arizona and Nevada. The move, a short-term fix under a 2019 drought agreement, aims to keep turbines turning and water supplies flowing as negotiations for longer-term cuts stall and drought conditions persist.

via Yahoo|

#bureau-of-reclamation #colorado-river #environment

environment1 month ago•6 min saved

Emergency water shift aims to steady Lake Powell as Colorado River drought deepens

To avert a Powell failure amid a historic Colorado River drought, the federal government will move water from Flaming Gorge to raise Lake Powell and reduce releases to Lake Mead, aiming for a one-year pause while seven Western states negotiate longer-term water cuts; Powell is roughly 36% full and Mead about 32%, with major downstream impacts for California, Arizona and Nevada.

via Los Angeles Times|

#colorado-river #drought #environment

world2 months ago•175 min saved

Satellite images reveal Western snowpack at record lows after a scorching March

A record-warm March melted the western U.S. snowpack to historic lows, with California’s snowpack at just about 22% of average and Sierra Nevada snow cover dropping from 52% to 21% in a month. Colorado River Basin snowpack is at record lows, threatening summer water supplies for millions and potentially worsening drought and wildfire risk. NASA Worldview satellite imagery highlights the rapid melt, and climate scientists say human-caused warming is shifting snowmelt timing and intensifying heat waves, signaling more strain on water resources in the years ahead.

via CNN|

#climate-change #colorado-river #drought

climate2 months ago•7 min saved

West Heat Wave and Possible El Niño Set Stage for a Chaotic Weather Year

A record-breaking Western heat wave and a likely strong El Niño later this year could drive months of extreme, unpredictable weather into 2026, worsening drought and low snowpack that threaten river flows and water supplies while potentially heightening wildfire risk amid ongoing human-caused climate warming.

via WIRED|

#climate #colorado-river #el-nino