Nevada and Idaho are the only Western states above their historic averages.
Drought
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Millions in debt, a community wonders if its water source will provide
This master-planned community must keep building to survive, despite the drought.
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It’s time to let Lake Powell go
In today’s ‘new normal,’ there is simply not enough water to maintain both Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
How a plan to save southeastern Colorado went off the rails
Heritage tourism offered a way out of economic doldrums. Why did it go wrong?
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
The tenuous revival of Mono Lake
Its defenders won a long fight over water with Los Angeles. Now, drought is raising new questions about its future.
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
Could Los Angeles design its way to water independence?
A pair of architects are reinvisioning the city’s relationship with water, starting with storm runoff.
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
Water hustle
Did one of Nevada’s top water regulators try to cash in on the drought?
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Will a new state plan solve Colorado’s water troubles?
After years of growing scarcity and population pressure, Colorado finally has a plan of action.
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Innovation amid drought in the Sacramento Delta
Checking in with a farmer who traded some of his water for long term survival.
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Ranch Diaries: Spared from drought, for now, in New Mexico
Dry spells take a toll on landscapes and livestock, but are also hard on people.
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To save Washington’s Yakima Basin fish, just add water
A drought plan in one of the West’s most forward-thinking watersheds reconciles salmon and agriculture.
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Fresno, California, aims to recharge its dwindling groundwater
Surface water projects give groundwater a break, in the state’s fourth year of severe drought.
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Does optimism have a place in Western water politics?
Writer John Fleck wants us to abandon our dried-up narratives of doom.
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How to drought-proof California’s farms
Three years into its most severe drought in over a thousand years, it’s unclear how much longer California can continue growing half of the nation’s produce. The crisis confronting Big Ag and family farmers alike may signal the end of agriculture as it’s currently practiced. But it need not spell doom for farming altogether: On […]
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Hopes high for a ‘Super’ El Niño
The weather phenomenon could bring rain but also mudslides and drought to the different regions of the West.
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Dispatch from Valley Fire evacuation camp in California
State officials are calling the Lake County blaze one of the fastest-moving fires in memory.
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Drought on the Pacific Crest Trail offers harsh lessons
We had barely covered the first 10 miles of trail, hiking north from the California-Mexico border, when my hiking partner, Flash, and I found the first Pacific Crest Trail casualty. A man in his 20s, face flushed red from heat, watched us approach with clear embarrassment. He sat in a small patch of shade next […]
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Mapping fish die-offs in warming waters
Help High Country News identify trouble spots for West Coast fish runs.
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What we’ve lost in the Methow Valley wildfires
Three firefighters have died as fires continue to rip through Washington.
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Scientists strengthen link between climate change and drought
How much of California’s dry spell can be traced to climate change?