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Nature and Environment

Red Butte in Coconino County, Wednesday, Aug. 30. Known as "Wii'i Gdwiisa," in Havasupai, the sacred grounds are protected under President Joe Biden's Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni- Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

A generational battle: How a tribe’s concern over uranium mining on ancestral homelands brought Biden to AZ

Oct 27, 2023 In this tapped episode, Katya Mendoza and Paola Rodriguez explore the history of the Havasupai people's fight to stop uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.
The sun rises over the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River

Oct 25, 2023 The U.S. Department of the Interior said in a statement that the risk of reaching critically low water elevations at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the river's two key reservoirs, has gone down substantially.
A pipe carries water from the Colorado River into a shed in Page, Ariz. on November 2, 2022.

Tap water is cheap. Maybe too cheap.

Oct 25, 2023 That means big spending and costs that will get passed along to the millions of people who use that water in sinks, showers and sprinklers.
Candidates for Mayor of Tucson. From left to right: Ed Ackerley (I), incumbent Regina Romero (D), and Janet "JL" Wittenbraker (R).

The Buzz: El Tour de Mayor of Tucson

Oct 20, 2023 AZPM takes a drive around Tucson with three candidates running in the mayor's race.
The San Pedro River post-Monsoon rain. September 14, 2023.

Center for Biological Diversity demands action on depleting aquifer in Sierra Vista

Oct 19, 2023 Environmental advocates call for fair water use policies to save the San Pedro River.
The Colorado River flows near Hite, Utah on July 4, 2022.

New Colorado River rules will be hard to agree on

Oct 19, 2023 A new report shows just how tricky it could be.

An unprecedented water line in an unprecedented place

Oct 19, 2023 In this Tapped episode, Danyelle Khmara delves into the Grand Canyon's water infrastructure challenges and the extraordinary Transcanyon Waterline upgrade, highlighting the complexities of delivering clean water in this iconic natural wonder.
A monsoon storm drops localized, heavy rainfall over northwest Tucson, Marana, and Oro Valley. From August 2022.

Rainwater contents may surprise you

Oct 18, 2023 A UA study looks at what is in local rain.
Bands of discolored rock show that Lake Powell's water levels are lower than they have been for much of its past.

When a reservoir is more than just stored water

Oct 11, 2023 Reservoirs are a common solution to the seasonal ebbs and flows of river water. But, for some communities, they are so much more.
Effluent gushes out of the outfall, into the Santa Cruz River. The outfall of water is constantly flowing, but there is a diurnal fluctuation due to cyclical human water use.

Reviving the Santa Cruz River: A decade of clean waters and ecological resurgence

Oct 10, 2023 From stagnation to splendor: How wastewater innovation breathed life back into a desert oasis
San Pedro River pre-Monsoon rains. August 15, 2023.

Water and housing redux

Oct 10, 2023 The story of a home development in Cochise County has taken a second big turn since we published Episode 4 of this series, so Summer Hom is back with the latest on this ongoing saga.
Border Patrol agents patrol along a line of shipping containers stacked near the border Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, near Yuma, Ariz.

Arizona border wall lawsuits dismissed, paving the way for environmental restoration

Oct 5, 2023 From legal resolution to environmental revival: Arizona's next chapter
The San Pedro River post-Monsoon rain. September 14, 2023.

Major housing development backs out shortly after San Pedro is assigned water rights

Oct 5, 2023 Developer Castle and Cooke pulled the plug on a subdivison that would have added just shy of 7,000 homes
An alfalfa field in Marana, AZ bordered by I-10. September 2023

Hobbs Terminates Fondomonte Lease to Protect Arizona Water

Oct 3, 2023 Critics of Fondomonte LLC say the company has been allowed to exploit Arizona’s water laws.
ADWR Director of Active Management Areas Natalie Mast (right) and Arizona State Representative Gail Griffin (R-19, left) talk prior to ADWR's meeting in Douglas Thursday. September 28, 2023. *Photo by Summer Hom, AZPM News.*

Douglas AMA management goal under review, workshops ahead for management plan

Oct 2, 2023 ADWR officals say that those with non-exempt wells must apply for a grandfathered right by March 1 in order to continue legally withdrawing groundwater from the basin
Snow tops Mica Mountain, a peak in the Rincon range east of Tucson.

Tucson area experiences earthquake centered near Saguaro National Park-Rincon District

Sep 29, 2023 Early morning tremors leave Tucsonans wondering about seismic activity

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