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After two decades of drought, parts of Lake Mead that were once underwater have been exposed as the lake falls to historically low levels.

More questions than answers at Colorado River water meetings

Talk at sessions Wednesday and Thursday has focused on cooperation between users to solve shortages.
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.

The Buzz: Looking back on 2022

Newsworthy interviews and topics that we addressed this year.
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.
The Central Arizona Project moves water from the Colorado River to southern Arizona. July 2021

San Carlos Apache agree to lease water for Arizona community

Without the agreement the town would have no water.
Climate change has cut deep into the Southwest's water supply, and policymakers in the seven states that share the river have failed to agree on a plan to significantly reduce demand. That has left Lake Powell, held back by Glen Canyon Dam, at less than a quarter of its capacity.

The “power of aridity” is bringing a Colorado River dam to its knees

The Glen Canyon Dam faces threats that could soon render it useless after decades as a symbol of American engineering achievement.
The Verde River near the site of a dam that was removed in 2022.

The Buzz takes a trip down the Verde River

Meet a man who has made saving this unique waterway his life's work
A crew from Verde Earth Technologies chips arundo in Cornville, Ariz.

Crews remove invasive plants from Arizona waterways to conserve water, better ecosystem

Efforts along the Verde River and its tributaries to remove introduced plants can prevent monocultures while also getting water to a Phoenix-area reservoir.
This yard in Mesa was converted to desert landscaping under the city’s Grass-to-Xeriscape incentive program. September 2022.

As the drought grinds on, Maricopa County homeowners take advantage of xeriscape incentives

Megadrought and low runoff conditions accelerated by climate change have resulted in record low water levels in Lakes Powell and Mead
Lee's Ferry, pictured here, serves as the point where negotiators of the Colorado River Compact divided the river into two basins.

The Colorado River Compact turns 100 years old

The question is, is it still working?
Since the 1980s Tucsonans have replaced their green lawns with decomposed granite and opted for plants like palo verde trees and cacti, which can endure long periods of drought and extreme heat.

Phoenix and Las Vegas agree to get rid of decorative grass

The worsening drought brought the agreement from 30 western water agencies.
The Central Arizona Project moves water from the Colorado River to southern Arizona. July 2021

Ex-Reclamation commissioner to head CAP

Burman led the Bureau of Reclamation from 2017 to early 2021 under the Trump administration.
Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito, and Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

High court to hear water dispute between Navajo, government

The high court said Friday it would review a lower court ruling in favor of the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.
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.
A canal carries water from the Colorado River to tribal land in Arizona.

Lower Colorado River reservoir evaporation the focus of new analysis

If implemented in its current form, the proposal would translate to significant cutbacks for users in Nevada, Arizona, and California.
Michael Connor, assistant secretary for the Army for Civil Works, back to camera, Tempe water engineering manager Mark Weber and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, gather Sept. 1, 2022, in front of the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility. Stanton is working to secure $37.5 million in federal funds to rehabilitate the plant.

Tempe plans to reopen long dormant water reclamation plant amid grinding drought

The recession caused its closure but the drought is changing plans.
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?

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