Latest Colorado River News

Utah Supreme Court rejects Colorado River water pipeline project

10-23-2025 by Ben Winslow

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court has rejected a project that proposes to take water from the Colorado River system in Utah, pump it h

Fox 13

Utah now runs the world's largest remote-controlled cloud seeding program

10-09-2025 by Ben Winslow

WEST JORDAN, Utah — Utah's expansion of cloud seeding is starting to provide a return on investment, water policymakers were told Thursday.

The Times-Independent

‘No water available’: Coalition warns Colorado River could drop to critical lows, calls for nine urgent reforms

10-09-2025 by Andrew Christiansen and Brooke Larsen

With a Nov. 11 federal deadline and reservoirs near critical lows, report urges curtailments, conservation and dam fixes — and faults a stal

Nevada Current

About 80% of the water goes to agriculture. If you’re using a big share and it’s more cost-effective, then that’s going to need to be the target,” said a co-author of the study. (Photo: Bureau of Reclamation Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Paying farmers proves most cost-effective way to conserve Colorado River, study says

10-07-2025 by Jennifer Solis

The most cost-effective and quickest way to conserve the Colorado River’s shrinking water supply amid persistent drought and rapid populatio

Fox 13

Environmental groups' study calls for deep cuts to Colorado River water

10-02-2025 by Ben Winslow

SALT LAKE CITY — A study by a coalition of environmental groups is calling for all states along the Colorado River to make deep cuts as wate

Fox 13

As Colorado River sees more cuts, Utah leaders feel pressure to strike a deal

08-20-2025 by Ben Winslow

MOAB, Utah — You can see how low the water levels are, even for this time of year. The "bathtub rings" are apparent on the shoreline and m

Fox 13

Capitol Hill looks at consolidating Colorado River power

08-20-2025 by Ben Winslow

SALT LAKE CITY — A legislative analysis presented to lawmakers on Tuesday recommended consolidating the Colorado River Authority of Utah und

St. George News

An inside look at Washington County's $1B reuse plan to keep water flowing in the future

02-05-2025 by Mori Kessler

KSL.com

Water flows through the Price River in Utah. Projects to improve the river account for some of the over $100 million that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation directed to drought resiliency projects in Utah and on tribal land in or near the state. Water flows through the Price River in Utah. Projects to improve the river account for some of the over $100 million that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation directed to drought resiliency projects in Utah and on tribal land in or near the state. (The Nature Conservancy)

Feds directed $122.8M in drought spending across Utah. Will it be held up by freeze?

01-29-2025 by Carter Williams

KSL.com

North Wash boat ramp below Cataract Canyon on Sept. 22, 2024. Utah's water agent said Monday that efforts to secure water deals outside of the state are underway, but he said it will be easier said than done. North Wash boat ramp below Cataract Canyon on Sept. 22, 2024. Utah's water agent said Monday that efforts to secure water deals outside of the state are underway, but he said it will be easier said than done. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

Securing water from out of state will be a 'Herculean' effort, Utah's water agent says

01-28-2025 by Carter Williams

KUER

Farmer Gary Wilson stands in one of his alfalfa fields in Moab, Utah, Sept. 17, 2024. For years, he also farmed the land next to this field, but it has been developed into large homes in recent years.

What swapping crops for houses means for Utah’s water and agriculture future

01-22-2025 by David Condos

St. George News

Virgin River Program juggles diverse ecosystems with fast growing Washington County population

01-17-2025 by Stephanie DeGraw

Salt Lake Tribune

The Rocky Mountains have gotten near-average snow this year. So, why are forecasts for Lake Powell inflows so low?

01-16-2025 by Anastasia Hufham

Great Salt Lake Collaborative

File -- Mark Milligan, with the Utah Geological Survey, takes a photo of a mound formed by the mineral mirabilite on the shores of the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. (Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)

Our most engaging stories of 2024

12-26-2024 by Becca Green

KUER

Farmer and rancher Coby Hunt stands next to idle irrigation equipment in one of his fields near the town of Green River, Aug. 19, 2024. Utah is launching a new program that will pay producers to leave their fields empty, as Hunt has done, and leave their irrigation water in the Colorado River system. (David Condos/KUER)

Utah wants to shore up its Colorado River share with a water ‘savings account’

12-19-2024 by David Condos

Fox 13

Southern Utah looks to expand water reuse, 'ultra-efficient' landscaping

12-13-2024 by Ben Winslow and Chris Reed

Fox 13

U.S. Supreme Court hears Uinta Basin Railway case and challenge to major environmental law

12-13-2024 by Ben Winslow

KUER

New data could tell us how much of Utah’s water simply disappears into the air

12-10-2024 by David Condos

KUER

Doug Bennett of the Washington County Water Conservancy District points out part of Sunbrook Golf Course that has been converted from grass to desert landscaping, Dec. 3, 2024. Photo by David Condos/KUER

St. George has cut a slice of turf from its golf game — and is eyeing more

12-10-2024 by David Condos

Fox 13

Deep divisions on display at Colorado River summit

12-06-2024 by Ben Winslow

Fox 13

Utah's idea to swap Colorado River water for desalination plant money may not be so crazy after all

12-05-2024 by Ben Winslow

Fox 13

Negotiations moving slowly in new deals governing the Colorado River

12-05-2024 by Ben Winslow

KUER

Agriculture is Utah's biggest water user, but some farmers don’t use any irrigation. One is Shay Lewis, seen here in his field near Monticello, Utah, Aug. 20, 2024. Credit: David Condos, KUER

Think Utah farmers should do without irrigation? Here’s what that looks like

11-26-2024 by David Condos

KUER

As the Colorado River becomes increasingly strained and droughts get more extreme, some farmers and ranchers are experimenting with alternative crops, such as the Kernza grain seen here on Sept. 17, 2024. Credit: David Condos, KUER

How unconventional crops could save water — and reshape Utah farming

11-22-2024 by David Condos

KSL-TV

Drip irrigation systems, like the one seen here at Journey Farm on Sept. 19, 2024, can deliver water to plant roots more efficiently than traditional spray irrigation. Credit: David Condos, KUER

Video: Utah farmers experimenting with alternative crops to save water

11-21-2024 by Mark Wetzel and Shelby Lofton

Deseret News

Updated Video: The fight to save the Colorado River

11-14-2024 by Emma Pitts

Deseret News

Updated Video: The fight to save the Colorado River

11-14-2024 by Emma Pitts

Deseret News

North Wash, a side canyon that has filled in with sediment since the creation of Lake Powell, is pictured where it meets the Colorado River on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Photo essay: The fight to save the Colorado River

11-05-2024 by Kristin Murphy

Deseret News

The fight to save the Colorado River

11-05-2024 by Emma Pitts

Deseret News

A group of river experts, scientists, water rights lawyers, tribal representatives, non-profit representatives, philanthropists and river guides raft down Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River with the Returning Rapids Project on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The Colorado River is in a custody battle with 7 states

11-04-2024 by Emma Pitts

Deseret News

Footprints where people have sunk into mud are pictured above Gypsum Canyon rapid in Cataract Canyon on the banks of the Colorado River on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Will Lake Powell become Lake Mud? Inside the growing sediment crisis

11-04-2024 by Emma Pitts

St. George News

‘This river has a spirit’: Native Americans share ancestral ties to Colorado River and its tributaries

11-04-2024 by Stephanie DeGraw

KUER

Mark Maryboy points across the San Juan River to where his family used to farm on the Navajo Nation in southeast Utah, Sept. 19, 2024. Credit: David Condos, KUER

With water rights in hand, Navajo still hope to restore farms on Utah’s San Juan

10-31-2024 by David Condos

KUER

Reagan Wytsalucy examines corn growing in a community garden she helped start next to the Navajo Nation in southeast Utah, Sept. 18, 2024. Credit: David Condos, KUER

Navajo food traditions tap into the past, and future, of farming the arid Southwest

10-31-2024 by David Condos

KSL-TV

Native Americans have grown food in the desert for ages, but many tribal agricultural traditions have disappeared. Now, people in southeast Utah are working to bring Navajo traditions back, with garden beds like this one near Bluff, Sept 18, 2024. Credit: David Condos, KUER

Historic water rights settlement could help Indigenous farmers thrive

10-31-2024 by Mark Wetzel and Shelby Lofton

Fox 13

At Utah water summit, updates on the Colorado River, Great Salt Lake and property taxes

10-17-2024 by Ben Winslow

Fox 13

Lawsuit filed over Green River lithium project

10-17-2024 by Ben Winslow

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