An AI server farm tsunami threatens to overwhelm the West’s power grid and water supplies.
Water
Will this threatened frog stop drilling near Denver?
Northern leopard frogs were found near the site of what would be one of state’s largest fossil fuel operations.
Why Colorado River negotiations are so difficult
Basin states have had 2 years to figure out how to share the shrinking river. Will they get there before the feds step in?
‘It’s a story of hope’: Reflections on undamming the Klamath
A Q&A with Amy Bowers Cordalis about her new book on the multigenerational effort towards dam removal.
Inventing habitats
Reconciliation means meeting a landscape on its own terms.
Inventando hábitats
La reconciliación significa encontrarse con un paisaje en sus propios términos
Phoenix subdivision builds move ahead, despite water concerns
The first crack in the area’s suspension on new housing that relies on groundwater appears.
Want fluoride in the water? Too bad.
Across the West, lawmakers are skipping over the will of voters and yanking fluoride.
The dried-out subdivisions of Phoenix
A groundwater crisis halted the construction of thousands of homes and pitted affordability against environmental concerns.
What do fens do? Make peat, store water and help combat climate change
Meet the researchers restoring these unique wetlands high in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.
The joyful responsibility of cutting fish
My favorite job reminds me that working together is everything.
Resistance to data centers rises on the border
In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, residents have long struggled to access clean water. Now, developers plan to spend $165 billion on a massive data center complex.
The Rio Grande’s pecan problem
How Big Ag is threatening New Mexico’s water supply.
Who controls food in the West?
Consolidation, shifting politics, water rights and the myth of the cowboy all play into the region’s ability to feed itself.
Wildfire is a growing threat to the West’s water systems
How fire and water managers can prepare.
The West’s data centers suck (water and power)
From simple searches to chatGPT, the big digital buildup threatens the grid and water supplies.
Why isn’t agrivoltaics taking off in Arizona?
Logistical hurdles and a lack of solar incentives keep panels and plants apart.
First came the record-setting fire. Then came the record-setting floods.
‘I don’t trust the water:’ How post-fire flooding has destabilized a rural community’s drinking water.
Western states step up to save their wetlands
The West’s vital wetlands are in trouble — but states are working to safeguard them.
Trump quits deal with Northwest tribes to restore salmon
The plan to remove four hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin that blocks the free flow of salmon was canceled.
