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This stretch of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah is currently in extreme drought.

National Weather Service: Dryness defined 2020 in Southwest

Jan 2, 2021 Record or near-record dryness across Arizona and the region
Lorraine Eiler's great grandfather was one of several Hia C-ed O'odham who used to live at Quitobaquito Springs.

After the wall, border residents take stock of what's next

Dec 25, 2020 The Trump administration is expected to finish 450 miles of wall by the end of the year.
This stretch of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah is currently in extreme drought.

Colorado River watershed forecast looks very dry for start of 2021

Dec 22, 2020 The Colorado River’s largest reservoirs are likely to drop next year if demands stay the same.
Since late June 2019, Tucson Water has been recharging treated wastewater into the dry channel of the Santa Cruz River, creating a riparian oasis.

Checking in on the health of the Santa Cruz River

Dec 18, 2020 Upgrades to the county’s wastewater treatment continue to improve the vitality of the river and the wildlife it supports.
The point on the Santa Cruz River north of downtown where treated effluent from the Agua Dulce flows into the river channel.

State unveils draft legislation to create surface water protections

Dec 16, 2020 The process comes after the Trump administration's rollback of Clean Water Act protections.
John Farley, director of fire test operations at the Naval Research Laboratory, tests the effectiveness of aqueous film-forming foam by spraying it on a gasoline fire. The test took place at the laboratory in Chesapeake Beach, Md. Oct. 25, 2019.

State works to clean up chemical pollutants in Tucson water supply

Dec 11, 2020 ADEQ is addressing PFAS contamination of Tucson backup groundwater wells.
Agnese Nelms Haury

A Tucson Original: Agnese Haury

Dec 10, 2020 Listen to an oral history of Agnese Haury's remarkable life, as told by those who knew and loved her.
The 28,000-home master planned community would be built just south of Benson.

Enviro groups win bid for evidence on approval for Vigneto housing development

Dec 4, 2020 A judge ordered FWS to produce documents related to political interference that greenlit a huge housing development.
Cars driving with downtown Phoenix in the background

Phoenix posts its hottest summer and autumn in city history

Dec 2, 2020 Arizona's capital already has shattered its record for the most days of triple-digit heat in a calendar year.
Rillito River flows after a monsoon storm, July 2020

Major changes in environmental policy expected under Biden

Nov 25, 2020 Reclassifying Arizona waterways is among the items on the new administration's agenda
The Minke whale gets unloaded in Bisbee.

Minke whale skeleton comes to Bisbee

Nov 18, 2020 Students with the Bisbee Science Lab will clean and reassemble the whale for display.
A proposed pipeline project in southern Utah would transport water from Lake Powell to fast-growing communities in the state's southwest corner. The proposal hit political headwinds this year, as other Colorado River users objected to it.

2020 delivers setbacks for some long-planned Western water projects

Nov 17, 2020 Long-planned projects have run into roadblocks.
Thirty-foot-high border wall was installed along the border near Sasabe, Arizona, and Mexico in the summer of 2020.

Joe Biden inherits Trump's border wall — and its lawsuits

Nov 16, 2020 Candidate Biden said he would stop construction but never said he would tear down the new border wall.
Allie Young, the founder of Protect the Sacred, leads voters to the polls within the Navajo Nation on Election Day 2020.

Voters in tribal lands 'reclaimed' Arizona in this election, advocate says

Nov 12, 2020 Pandemic experience key to getting out the Indigenous vote, activists said.
The Santa Cruz River flows downstream of the outflow from the Agua Dulce wastewater treatment plant.

State shares framework for new surface water quality protections

Nov 9, 2020 The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is working on regulations to fill the gap left by changes to the Clean Water Act.
Hikers on Mount Lemmon practicing social distancing.

More Santa Catalina trails and campsites reopen

Nov 2, 2020 The Coronado National Forest continues to evaluate safety conditions at trials and campgrounds in the wake of the Bighorn Fire.

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