Around half of Utah’s counties have met their 2030 conservation goals. Taking a closer look at who is succeeding and struggling offers a glimpse of why it’s hard to save water in Utah.

Because of drought, mandatory water cuts are nothing new in Utah. But the potential of large-scale reductions across the Colorado River Basin would present a steep challenge.

Tamarisk trees are a scourge on riverside ecosystems across southern Utah. Scientists hope their natural enemies, tamarisk beetles, can help local ecosystems fight back.

Between dams, diversions and a changing climate, the Colorado River doesn’t flow like it used to. Now, scientists and conservationists in Utah are working to give cottonwood trees a better chance.

Because a lot of water from the San Rafael River gets used upstream, more of its path through southeast Utah is drying up. That’s transforming the river’s flow patterns and leaving native fish stranded. But scientists are testing ways to give them a better chance at survival.

The Colorado River Authority of Utah board approved the first round of applicants for the state’s pilot program. It includes more than a dozen projects along Colorado River tributaries in eastern and southeastern Utah.

A federal forest grant that conservationists rely on to fund monitoring and removal of the invasive and tenacious Russian olive tree has been frozen by the Trump admin.