Water

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.

The announcement Friday by federal officials means Arizona will again go without 18% of its allocation, while Mexico loses 5%. The reduction for Nevada will stay at 7%

The lawn rebate program in St. George, Utah, has replaced enough irrigated grass to save 125 million gallons of water each year.

Deer, elk and fish face food scarcity, death and poor water quality after a wildfire has burned its course.

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