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A canal carries Colorado River water to farmland near Poston, Arizona, owned and operated by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, a key player in Arizona's Drought Contingency Plan.

U.S. Senate committee to hear testimony on tribal water rights

The chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribes is in Washington, D.C., this week to testify for a bill that would allow her tribe to lease its water to other parts of Arizona.
A sprawling swath of the West is in drought, with more than 20 years of dryness in the Colorado River basin. Researchers say nearly every indicator of drought is heading in the wrong direction.

Drought to continue, NOAA says

Dryness and above average temperatures bring wildfire danger.
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.

Property owners can learn about their water rights with new map

The map covers sections of the Verde and San Pedro River watersheds.
A fourth grade class from Lulu Walker Elementary School learns about the water cycle at Tucson Water's annual Water Festival on March 8th, 2022.

Tucson 4th graders learn about the water cycle and conservation at water festival

This is the 13th year Tucson Water has held the event.
The late-afternoon sun on Lake Powell, April 2018.

Lake Powell set to drop below important water level in the 'near future'

The level is nearly too low to generate hydropower.
The Colorado River Basin continues to be sapped dry by increasing temperatures and diminished precipitation.

UN climate report says drought, earlier runoff will make water scarce this summer

A new report from the United Nations’ panel on climate change lays out a grim picture of the future.
A research station collects snow data in Colorado's San Juan mountains, March 2018.

For much of the Colorado River basin, a dry start to the new year has lingered

The winter season is far from over, but another dry year would spell trouble for the drought-stricken river basin, which depends heavily on winter snow.
A sprawling swath of the West is in drought, with more than 20 years of dryness in the Colorado River basin. Researchers say nearly every indicator of drought is heading in the wrong direction.

Western drought worst in 1000 years

Scientists say this is the worst case scenario.
The International Outfall Interceptor, or IOI, runs under this concrete-lined wash through the city of Nogales, Ariz.

Officials break ground on project to repair leaky cross-border sewage pipe

The pipeline, built more than half a century ago, has cracked and ruptured, leading at times to the release of raw sewage.
A sprawling swath of the West is in drought, with more than 20 years of dryness in the Colorado River basin. Researchers say nearly every indicator of drought is heading in the wrong direction.

Could we — should we — build a desalination plant?

Even with money in the budget and the ocean so close, water could still be far away.
John Farley, director of fire test operations at the Naval Research Laboratory, tests the effectiveness of aqueous film-forming foam by spraying it on a gasoline fire. The test took place at the laboratory in Chesapeake Beach, Md. Oct. 25, 2019.

PFAS water pollution pilot project opens in Tucson

State funded project is designed to combat ground water pollution north of Air Force base.

Adia Barnes on Teamwork and Motherhood.

Also on Arizona Spotlight:Can new technology save water on farms? Plus Chris Dashiell remembers Peter Bogdanovich, and a short story read by author Michelle Ross.
Precision-cut rows of broccoli grow on a laser-leveled field in Yuma, Arizona. Technological developments in agriculture are helping the industry use water more efficiently, but research shows that some methods are not helping save water on a basin-wide scale.

As the Colorado River shrinks, can new technology save water on farms? The answer is complicated

Agriculture uses about 80% of the water in the Colorado River basin.
In Central Arizona, the future of homes and farms relies on water stored underground. Some experts say that supply can't sustainably meet demand in the long term, especially as the population grows and the total water supply shrinks.

With less water on the surface, how long can Arizona rely on what's underground?

Some experts say aquifers are overtaxed and shouldn’t be seen as a long-term solution for a region where the water supply is expected to shrink in the decades to come.
The sun shines harshly behind a saguaro cactus.

Last year was fifth-warmest recorded in Tucson

Each month was among the warmest in Tucson history except for July, when there was heavy rainfall during the monsoon season.
The Central Arizona Project moves water from the Colorado River to southern Arizona. July 2021

Water cutbacks coming to Arizona

A decades-long drought means less water from the Colorado River in 2022.

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