Tag: Colorado river

Lake Mead Water Levels Rises, Surpassing Expectations

Water levels in Lake Mead, located about 30 miles east of Las Vegas in the Colorado River, have surpassed predictions following four months of winter storms in California that began in December. As of April 4, it was measured at almost 1,046 feet, which is nearly three feet higher than projected. On the same day…


Newsom Issues Executive Order on ‘Water Resilience’ Amid Flood of Criticism

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Feb. 13 intended to protect the state’s water supplies from climate change and the risk of prolonged drought, despite the state’s wettest three-week period on record in late December and early January. The state has seen an unseasonably dry February and could see a return to warm and dry…


California Governor Issues Executive Order on ‘Water Resilience’ Amid Flood of Criticism

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Feb. 13 intended to protect the state’s water supplies from climate change and the risk of prolonged drought, despite the state’s wettest three-week period on record in late December and early January. The state has seen an unseasonably dry February and could see a return to warm and dry…


Battle Brewing Over California Water Rights in Colorado River Basin

As six states turn up the heat on California to cut back on water consumption from the Colorado River Basin, the state has proposed its own plan, citing a 1922 contract that grants California senior water rights. Under the six-state proposal, Southern California water agencies would be required to reduce their water allocation by as…


Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Indian Tribe’s Bid to Access Water From the Colorado River

The Supreme Court agreed Nov. 4 to hear a dispute about whether an Indian tribe has the right to draw water from the Colorado River. The case pits the Navajo Nation, a large Indian reservation occupying territory in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, against the states of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, the Metropolitan Water District of…


Nevada Water Company Files For Bankruptcy Amid Worsening Drought

LAS VEGAS—One of Southern Nevada’s longest-running private water companies has gone under financially amid the region’s worsening drought. The Basic Water Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early September with roughly $50 million in reported assets and more than $7 million in bond debt. On July 1, the company ceased operations when the Lake…


Western States Hit With More Cuts to Colorado River Water

SALT LAKE CITY—For the second year in a row, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the West endures more drought, federal officials announced Tuesday. Though the cuts will not result in any immediate new restrictions—like banning lawn watering or car washing—they signal…


State Over Federal Power: The 100th Anniversary of the Colorado River Commission

Commentary This year is the centennial anniversary of the Colorado River Commission, the “convention of states” that negotiated the Colorado River Compact. The Colorado River Compact is familiar primarily to those living in the American West. But the Colorado River Commission was a landmark event for all Americans. It was a major triumph of state…


To Refine Water Forecasts, Western Cities Map Snow by Plane

GUNNISON, Colo.—At a tiny airport surrounded by mountains, a three-person crew takes off for the inaugural flight above the headwaters of the Colorado River to measure the region’s snow by air. Under the plane is a device that uses lasers, cameras, and sensors to map snow and help drought-prone communities improve forecasts of how much…