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Nature and Environment

Fissures are starting to appear more often across the land and sometimes through roads in the Douglas and Willcox Basins of Cochise County as the aquifer beneath it loses more and more water.

Willcox Groundwater Basin may become Arizona’s next active management area

Oct 23, 2024 ADWR starts process to preserve groundwater in Cochise and Graham counties.
F-16 from the 162nd Fighter Wing, based in Tucson.

U.S. Air Force complies with EPA order on PFAS cleanup at Tucson Superfund Site

Oct 22, 2024 EPA approves Air Force plan to address PFAS contamination and water safety efforts at Tucson International Airport Superfund Site.
Yazzie Family in Dennehotso, Ariz., on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.

Broken Promises, Contaminated Waters: Uranium mining on the Navajo Nation

Oct 9, 2024 An investigation reveals the deadly health toll of uranium mining on Navajo land, where contaminated water and broken promises have left generations fighting for survival.
Comb jellies fused together.

A jellyfish with a superpower — it can fuse with another and become one

Oct 8, 2024 Comb jelly fusion has been observed before, but this is the first time that scientists have documented the individuals behaving as one.
Stacks of hay bales sit beside an irrigation canal in Imperial Valley on June 20, 2023. Critics have called for reductions to the amount of alfalfa grown with Colorado River water. The particularly thirsty crop is mostly used for cattle feed.

Why don’t we just fix the Colorado River crisis by piping in water from the East?

Oct 7, 2024 The answer is complicated.
An electric transmission line.

Fact Check Arizona: Utility rates, the Corporation Commission and green energy

Oct 3, 2024 As Arizonans prepare to elect new utility regulators, we look at how those offices work and what candidates have said about its work.
Saguaro cactus amid mid-afternoon sun.

Tucson is reaching record-setting temperatures this season

Oct 2, 2024 September 2024 is the hottest on record, and October is also breaking records
The Pinyon Plain Mine shaft in Coconino County, on Wednesday, Aug. 30. In 2016, the mine shaft punctured a perched aquifer that contained natural levels of uranium, requiring the mining company Energy Fuels to pump water to the surface to an impoundment for treatment.

Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon Region: Tribal Sovereignty vs. Nuclear Energy in the Climate Crisis

Oct 2, 2024 Uranium mining and nuclear energy may be affecting Arizona's tribal nations, posing threats to the region's water resources and the environmental and cultural heritage connected to them.
Michael Bogan, UA aquatic ecology professor holds up a Mexican amberwing dragonfly at the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project Reach in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Sept. 20.

Dragonfly Festival honors Tucson’s Santa Cruz River restoration

Sep 27, 2024 From wastewater to wildlife, how Tucson’s Heritage Project Reach became a thriving river ecosystem.

Nogales: Reviving Arroyos and Cultivating Water Resiliency

Sep 26, 2024 Unchecked urbanization has created water issues in Nogales, Sonora, which the city and researchers on both sides of the border are finding innovative ways to remedy.
<a href="https://map22.epa.gov/cimc/superfundZoom&params=0900684&15" target="_blank" style="font-weight:700;margin-right:6px">VIEW THIS MAP FULLSCREEN IN A NEW WINDOW</a>The ten square-mile Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site is depicted using orange diagonal lines. The site includes Tucson International Airport, Sections of the Tohono O'odham Nation (San Xavier District), Tucson and South Tucson residential areas, and Air Force Plant #44 Raytheon Missile Systems Company (AFP44). The site has contaminated groundwater and soil from former aircraft and electronics manufacturing and aircraft maintenance, fire drill trainings, and the leaking of chemicals from unlined landfills.

Tucson Airport Authority agrees to investigate groundwater pollution under EPA settlement

Sep 25, 2024 The agreement will focus on investigating and addressing PFAS pollution stemming from the Tucson International Airport.
Lucy Lavely and Awesta Zarif star in Arizona Theatre Company's production of "Dial M For Murder".

For thrills and suspense, Arizona Theatre Company invites you to "Dial M for Murder".

Sep 25, 2024 Also on Arizona Spotlight: How Bisbee Bikeways want to make transportation safer and healthier; and learn the secrets of the Vegan Night Market.
The Loop bike path along the Rillito River at North Campbell Avenue.

Tucson city council to vote on ban of homeless encampments in washes

Sep 23, 2024 The proposed ban is aimed at enhancing public safety and protecting fragile ecosystems.
LEFT: Arizona Attorney General, Kris Mayes. RIGHT: Water from the Colorado River flows through an irrigation canal at an alfalfa farm near Eloy, Arizona.

The Buzz: Arizona's rural water fight continues

Sep 20, 2024 Debate over how to regulate groundwater pumping continue, with some officials calling for immediate action.
Governor Katie Hobbs discusses water issues with Willcox Mayor Mike Laws. September 5, 2024.

“This aquifer is our Colorado River”: Rural residents struggle when corporate farms drill deep for water

Sep 20, 2024 From the Governor to the Attorney General, Arizona officials grapple with saving rural water supplies.
Established in 1924, the Chiricahua National Monument is up for redesignation to national park status. The monument could become Arizona's fourth national park.

House subcommittee considers bill to redesignate Chiricahua National Monument as a national park

Sep 18, 2024 Tribal leaders and local officials weigh in on the potential economic benefit and cultural impact

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