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COLORADO RIVER BASIN
How can a wet winter leave the American West short of water? NASA followed the snowA wet winter can leave the American West short of summer water if too much precipitation falls as rain. Mountain snowpack holds water for m...
In 1882, a pipeline helped silver boomtown Candelaria, Nevada, grow to about 1,000 people; after the 1893 financial panic, it declined, and its post office closed in 1939Candelaria emerged as a bustling boomtown in 19th-century Nevada, only to face dire water shortages. Although a dependable water pipeline w...
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Boulder Dam on Colorado River, now Hoover Dam at Arizona-Nevada border is part of feud between states due to climate changeColorado River system has about 60 million acre-feet of reservoir storage capacity, more than four times its average annual natural flow of...
A shrinking lifeline: US and Mexico strike new Colorado River deal, cutting Mexico's share by 17% for two yearsMexico will accept reduced Colorado River water allocations under a new binational agreement. This accord, known as Minute 334, aims to man...
In 2011, Colorado linked 90% of Lower Gunnison River selenium pollution to farming. 11 years later, farm work cut selenium by 50%, helping the river meet standards todayFor years, selenium from irrigated farmland posed a challenge for Colorado’s Lower Gunnison River. Irrigation can mobilize naturally occurr...
In 1869, Grand Canyon was named by legendary explorer Major John Wesley Powell, over 150 years later scientists are revealing details about when North America's iconic marvel landscape was created, disappearance of mystery lakeColorado River originates at La Poudre Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and runs about 1,450 miles (2,330 km). Scientists h...
An engineering mistake in 1905 accidentally created California’s largest lake — and it changed the desert foreverIn 1905, an engineering blunder redirected the Colorado River into a desert basin, unintentionally giving rise to California's Salton Sea. ...
In 2024, managers deliberately cooled the Colorado River to protect the Grand Canyon from invasive smallmouth bass. 2 years later, no bass recruitment had been detected, but the effort cost $19.1 million in replacement powerManagers at Glen Canyon Dam used an unusual strategy to protect native Colorado River fish from invasive smallmouth bass: they deliberately...
In 2000, the American West entered a megadrought that became its driest stretch in roughly 1,200 years. Years later, it left major lakes and reservoirs majorly depleted, with some losing enough water to expose miles of lakebedSeveral major North American lakes are experiencing significant water level declines. Drought, warming temperatures, and increased water de...
In 1963, federal engineers completed Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona for water storage and power, which turned the Colorado River colder and disrupted native fish reproductionGlen Canyon Dam altered the Colorado River's temperature and flow significantly. This change negatively affected the endangered humpback ch...
In the 1800s, Americans planted tamarisk for windbreaks and erosion control; by 2005, the tree had spread across western river systems and become a major management concernTamarisk was originally brought in for various practical applications, but it has since proliferated across western waterways. This invasiv...
A ghost town disappeared beneath 60 feet of water after Hoover Dam was built; Lake Mead’s decline is bringing it back to lifeA submerged ghost town named St. Thomas is reappearing as Lake Mead's water levels drop. This former Mormon settlement was flooded after th...
German scientists created a sponge-like material that could pull 1.8 liters of drinking water from dry air every day, turning desert air into a potential drinking-water sourceResearchers have developed a groundbreaking material that can absorb moisture from arid air and act as a highly efficient coolant for air c...
In 2001, a USDA scientist released beetles to destroy an invasive tree, but they eliminated 94% of an endangered bird's habitat along one riverAn invasive beetle introduced to control tamarisk trees has devastated flycatcher nesting grounds. This beetle, released by the USDA, succe...
As Lake Chad shrank to a tenth of its size, engineers revived Transaqua: A plan to pipe water 2,400 km from the Congo River to refill it, moving a whole river across a continentLake Chad's water levels have significantly decreased, impacting over thirty million people. Engineers propose Transaqua, a massive canal t...
Are the world’s freshwater sources vanishing before our eyes? Satellite images reveal an appalling global water crisisAcross the globe, our precious rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are diminishing at an alarming rate. Cutting-edge satellite imagery underscore...
The ground feels solid but deep below, Earth is slowly changingBeneath our seemingly stable world, Earth's deep interior is actively shifting. Scientific research reveals that dense rock slowly "drips" ...
Rio Tinto-backed lithium tech startup set to raise second round of fundsElectraLith is developing a filtration technology that can extract lithium from brine deposits without using water or chemicals, which woul...
Why Mount Everest is becoming taller? Scientists link it to a Himalayan riverA recent study suggests that Mount Everest's height may be increasing due to the erosion of the Arun River, located near the base of the Hi...
Groundwater is vanishing worldwide, but it can be rescuedAs the planet warms, more people will need to develop water consciousness: understanding the scarcity of this resource and, when necessary ...