Drought

There was little respite from the heat in Utah last year, even with overnight lows. Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Provo and Kanab all saw their warmest minimum temperatures on record, too.

Utah is launching a new multimillion-dollar program that pays farmers to leave their irrigation water in the Colorado River — and tracks where that saved water ends up.

Inflation Reduction Act money helped save water in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin. President-elect Donald Trump appears poised to take away that funding.

The seven states that share the shrinking river are deeply divided about new rules for its future. They met in Las Vegas for the annual Colorado River Water Users Association, or CRWUA, conference.

As the Colorado River Water Users Association gathers, the seven river states are like kids coming home to a family reunion. Policy watchers are frustrated with their level of disagreement.

Farm irrigation uses a lot of water across the West. In one Utah community, however, farmers already grow crops without any irrigation. It might seem like an answer to the state's water woes, but the reality is not so simple.

Alfalfa dominates Utah farm fields. It also takes a lot of irrigation. So, some farmers and ranchers in Utah’s Colorado River Basin are experimenting with alternative crops that might help agriculture diversify and survive in a future with less water.

Water managers across the West say they do not expect a new Trump administration will alter post-2026 Colorado River talks.

Engineering hurdles, high costs and political challenges stand in the way of an easy fix to the West's water shortages.

Replacing lawns with desert plants could help save water in drier parts of Utah, such as Washington County. But the shift can be daunting. The Parade of Gardens Southern Utah hopes to change that.

Between drought, climate change and competition for the Colorado River, Utah faces a precarious water future. Roughly three-fourths of the state’s water goes to agriculture and Utah is investing millions to help farmers and ranchers modernize their irrigation.

The operational limits and donated 200,00 acre-feet of water won’t cure the lake, but conservationists say it’s a big step in the right direction.