water rights

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.

States that use the Colorado River say they don't want to go to the Supreme Court, but some are quietly preparing for litigation.

Utah’s growing fast, and that’s having a big domino effect on housing development and farming. But it could also lead to a silver lining for the state’s water supply.

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.

Biden's Interior Department released four proposals for managing the river in an apparent attempt to nudge the states toward agreement.

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

Navajo family farms once lined the San Juan River in southeast Utah, but many have fallen idle. A water rights settlement with Utah has given some Navajo residents hope those farms can return.

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

The federal government is expected to announce water cuts soon that would affect some of the 40 million people reliant on the Colorado River.

Supporters say it would provide more certainty for water users as the Colorado River continues to get stretched. Sen. Mark Kelly said it's a historic step in resolving what has been a decades-long dispute over water supplies.

Thanks to rights to more than 650,000 acre-feet of water, the tribe, and its leader Stephen Roe Lewis, are a power player in a parched region.