Water

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.

Drought and steady demand along the Colorado River are draining the nation's second-largest reservoir. Land that was once submerged is now full of beavers and thriving ecosystems.

October set the stage for Utah to have a solid spring snowmelt runoff. That is, if the state can catch enough snow this winter.

During droughts and disasters, the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s draft plan could cut up to 60% of the water cities get and leave it up to city leaders to figure out how to get by with less.

The water year that ended Sept. 30 was one of the driest on record for parts of the state, including Salt Lake City and St. George.

A group of nonprofits is calling for reductions to water demand, changes at Glen Canyon Dam and more transparent negotiations.

"I was a political casualty," said Ted Cooke, a longtime Arizona water manager. Some policymakers in the Upper Basin quietly expressed concern that he might favor the Lower Basin in negotiations.

After a promising forecast, monsoon rains ghosted Utah for most of the summer. While the recent showers were a welcome relief, they couldn’t help the state climb out of its precipitation deficit.

Utah’s reservoirs are at 67% capacity, but some people are tuning out the message to save water.

Several environmental groups want the federal government to curb water waste in the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada.

The move by the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona and California would give rights of nature to the water, marking a historic first.

Since 2000, heat has become the primary force behind how severe and widespread Western droughts get.