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Effluent gushes out of the outfall, into the Santa Cruz River. The outfall of water is constantly flowing, but there is a diurnal fluctuation due to cyclical human water use.

Reviving the Santa Cruz River: A decade of clean waters and ecological resurgence

From stagnation to splendor: How wastewater innovation breathed life back into a desert oasis
Almost 100 years after the opening of Bisbee's Queen Mine, the Queen Mine Tours opened to the public in 1976. About 50,000 people visit the mine each year.

Water and Copper: How mining's history follows Arizona's feelings about water use in the state

Mining was Arizona's first billion-dollar industry. As we consider our state's economic drivers and their water use, we ask not only how much water goes into mining but what its aftermath does to water.
A View from Below by Rachel Ivanyi.

Art is Rachel Ivanyi's first language.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How do YOU pronounce "Sahuarita"?, and a profile of Brad Lancaster, water harvester.
March 18, 2020 view from Yavapai Point on the Grand Canyon's South Rim.

Grand Canyon officials warn E. coli has been found in water near Phantom Ranch

Park authorities said visitors should not consume any water in that area without boiling it first.
Tempe Town Lake from a pedestrian bridge near the replacement dam.

The Buzz: Previewing Season 2 of Tapped

AZPM's podcast about water returns with a season focusing on how we get water from where it is to where we want it.
Mary Cooper and her dog, Havoc, enjoying the Hassayampa River.

When dams break

As our infrastructure ages, what can happen when structures that are often massive give way?
Vana Dee Lewis wearing one of her #WORTHY shirts.

Vana Dee Lewis wants you to know you are "#WORTHY."

Also on Arizona Spotlight: From Odyssey Storytelling, Ana Montanez shares a story about discovering inner strength, and Gabriel Dozal on his book "The Border Simulator."
Lake Mead and the rest of the Colorado River system are shrinking rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has called for new conservation measures, asking states to conserve a tremendously large amount of water, and giving them a 60-day timeline to formulate a plan for those reductions.

Western states will not lose as much Colorado River water in 2024, despite long-term challenges

Bountiful snowfall and rain last winter pulled much of the region out of drought this spring and raised water levels at key reservoirs.
Stacks of hay bales sit beside an irrigation canal in Imperial Valley on June 20, 2023. Critics have called for reductions to the amount of alfalfa grown with Colorado River water. The particularly thirsty crop is mostly used for cattle feed.

Freeing up Colorado River water from California farms will take more than just money, just ask the farmers

The Imperial Valley is the largest Colorado River water user.
South 32 Hermosa Project in the Patagonia Mountains. The mine development project earned a FAST-41 federal designation which streamlines its permitting process.

Environmental groups seek court order to stop two exploratory mining projects

The groups filed a lawsuit against the USFS in June.
After two decades of drought, parts of Lake Mead that were once underwater have been exposed as the lake falls to historically low levels.

21st annual Water Resources Research Center brings in international collaborators

The conference focused on water solutions in a changing arid climate.
The seal of Cochise County.

Douglas AMA challengers get AMA back on the ballot

The existence of the Douglas AMA will go back to voters in 2023 General Election
President of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA), Carolyn Shafer, stands in one of her favorite places along Harshaw Creek in Patagonia, Arizona. Shafer has lived in the community for about 26 years.

Permitting timetable published for Southern Arizona critical minerals mine

The South32 Hermosa project is located in the Patagonia Mountains
File image from the Hoover Dam.

The Buzz: Tracing the Colorado River’s problems back for more than a hundred years

This week, we preview Thirst Gap, a new podcast from the team at NPR member station KUNC.
The stretch of the Verde River that goes through Clarkdale ends near the Tuzigoot Road Bridge.

The Buzz takes a trip down the Verde River

We're revisiting this episode after it and another The Buzz episode were honored by PMJA
A view of the Colorado River near the Silver Bridge on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. From November 2022.

Tucson releases draft water plan

The city is now asking for the public to provide feedback on the draft plan.

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