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Residents of the Douglas and Willcox Basins say they're drilling deeper and more often for water as their wells dry up as big companies expand their operations and dig even deeper into the shared water supply.

Preserving parts of Cochise County's water future

In November, voters split on future management of two major basins.
Male jaguar photographed in the Dos Cabezas Mountains Nov, 16, 2016.

Environmentalists want jaguars reintroduced to US Southwest

An environmental group on Monday petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help reintroduce the jaguar to the Southwest.
Shipping containers are put in place along the U.S.-Mexico border in Cochise County.

Forest Service warns about dangers of shipping container wall

The state is placing the barriers in the Coronado National Forest.
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.

UArizona Health Sciences receives grant to study PFAS mitigation in firefighters' blood

Arizona Board of Regents grant will further an Australian study that could minimize forever chemicals' impact on health.
Protests against the Resolution Copper mine near Oak Flat have been going for years, as shown in this 2015 file photo from a rally at the Capitol.

Tribe continues fight against proposed Arizona copper mine

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the state Department of Environmental Quality illegally issued a Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Resolution Copper Mine.
Water levels are at record lows and still dropping in the nation's largest reservoirs. The federal government began the process of restricting water releases from Glen Canyon Dam, which holds back a shrinking Lake Powell.

Feds want the ability to cut back on Colorado River reservoir releases over the next two years

On Friday, the Interior Department began the process of revising existing guidelines for water management in the Colorado River basin.
Fencing and signs like these near Dragoon, Arizona, aim to keep people away from some of the state’s estimated 100,000 abandoned mines. Minerals from such mines, many abandoned decades before environmental laws imposed clean-up requirements on mine owners, can leach out and pose a threat to nearby waterways. (File photo by Nicole Neri/ Cronkite News)

‘Good Samaritan’ bill aims to allow cleanup of abandoned, leaking mines

A bill in Congress could help Arizona clean up old mines.
The Central Tucson Groundwater Treatment System, located near Davis Monthan Air Force Base, removes PFAS contaminates from the aquifer below the area.

The Buzz: Dealing with Arizona's PFAS problem

Why are the chemical class also known as forever chemicals so dangerous, and what's being done to fix the problem?
A vacant lot is used as a place to stack and assemble sandbags for use by residents whose properties are at risk of flooding.

The Buzz: A strong monsoon brings road closures and floods

Why does some infrastructure get overwhelmed by above-average summer rain?
Lake Mead’s light-colored “bathtub ring” of mineral deposits towers above a speeding boat on June 29, 2022, near Hoover Dam.

No firm new deadline for Colorado River basin states’ conservation plans

The seven states that rely on the river blew past an August 16 deadline without a plan to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water.
The seven states in the Colorado River basin couldn't agree on a plan to conserve unprecedented amounts of water before a federal deadline. Meanwhile, grim projections for the future of water levels in Lake Mead have forced mandatory cuts to water for some users in the lower basin. Federal authorities are trying to prop up levels in the nation's largest reservoir before they dip too low to generate hydropower or allow the passage of water.

Colorado River states fail to meet federal deadline on restricting water use

Arizona will lose 21% of its Colorado River allotment next year.
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.

More water cuts coming to Arizona

The federal Bureau of Reclamation has announced how much Colorado River water the state will give up.
Water levels in Lake Powell, seen here in May 2021, are dipping dangerously low. The federal government has proposed an unprecedented plan to cut back on water supplies for Arizona, Nevada and California. The measure aims to keep water levels high enough to generate hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam.

Deadline looms for drought-stricken states to cut water use

New cuts are expected on Tuesday.
Oak Flat, east of Superior, Arizona. A company proposes to build one of the world's largest underground copper mines at this location.

Conservationists file notice of intent to sue EPA over Queen Creek mining waste

The groups also take aim at the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Fishing is one of the most popular activities at Patagonia Lake State Park.

State issues mercury warning for some fish caught in Patagonia Lake

The warning only applies to eating Flathead Catfish.
Oak Flat, near where a copper mine is proposed, is dotted with rugged boulders and desert vegetation.

Fight over Resolution Copper Mine drags on

Both sides expect the fight to continue

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