It’s taken 10 years for the states to reach an agreement, but it may not be the end of the water conflict.
Rivers & Lakes
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When dams come down, fish come home
As dam removal nationwide accelerates, experts are learning just how quickly rivers and fish respond.
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After June’s floods, will the Yellowstone River be allowed to roam?
Rock walls called riprap constrain the river to protect property from erosion —but there are other options.
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When a housing crisis meets a megaflood
June’s massive Yellowstone-area floods illuminated and worsened housing inequities across southwestern Montana.
Posted inDecember 1, 2022: Beyond Illusion
Rising rivers don’t necessarily follow the lines on a map
June’s record-breaking flooding in Montana illustrates the importance of risk mapping for people living in the floodplain.
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Hotter summer nights affect everything from death rates to crop yields to firefighting
What happens when the Earth can’t cool off overnight?
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The feds declined to seriously cut Colorado River water use. Here’s what that means
After Southwestern states failed to cut a deal, the Interior Department took it easy on them.
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Protecting a vulnerable great blue heron rookery
Despite recreation pressures, a Colorado community comes together to preserve the wildness of the place they live in.
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As waters warm, Alaska experiences salmon booms and busts
Chaotic salmon returns leave some Alaskans with an abundance of salmon, and others with none.
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The most destructive forest pest in North America is now in Oregon
The invasive emerald ash borer threatens the state’s salmon habitat, urban forests and agency budgets.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2022: Going Under
Flooding could breathe life into Yellowstone ecosystem
Although destructive for people, high-water events are a natural part of river systems.
Posted inJuly 1, 2022: Living with Rivers
The beauty buried in the data
Art created using laser data reveals the history and geological wonder of Washington’s landscape and rivers.
Posted inJuly 1, 2022: Living with Rivers
The Colorado stream case that could revolutionize river access
‘There are waters I’ve wanted to fish for 50 years, and I’ve been denied the use of a state-owned resource.’
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Report: Over half of U.S. waters are too polluted to swim or fish
At 50 years, the Clean water Act has had success. But there are key sources of water pollution yet to be addressed.
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Can a modified invasive trout save the cutthroat?
To eliminate invasive fish species, scientists have created a ‘Trojan’ brook trout that’s intended to help native fish in the West.
Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
Hate speech on the Bitterroot
How a day on the river made me question my relationship to a place I call home.
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5 questions you asked about trespassing through airspace
We recently wrote about four hunters charged with trespassing even though they didn’t touch private land. What the heck?
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Tribal nations are locked inside the U.S. water regime
Phoebe Suina on the Rio Grande River, Pueblo inclusion and the need for holistic solutions to our man-made disaster.
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Utah has a water dilemma
Record-breaking drought along the Wasatch Front forces tough decisions about water supply.