Stories - AZPM

Water in the Rillito River following a monsoon storm. July 23, 2020

After Clean Water Act change, uncertainty reigns over water protections

The Trump administration's revision of which waterways are protected creates regulatory uncertainty, especially in arid places.

The Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado, on Sept. 15, 2018.

Climate change likely to keep hammering Colorado River's biggest reservoirs, model shows

Projections show an increasing likelihood of official shortage declaration before 2026.

A Hia-Ced O'odham protester sits inside a vehicle to block construction on a stretch of border wall going up in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 9, 2020.

Indigenous activists arrested in demonstration against border wall construction near Quitobaquito Springs

Two O'odham protesters were arrested for impeding construction in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

One of the spring-fed ponds at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in October 2019, which sits up against the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border wall groundwater pumping threatens to push endangered species to 'brink of extinction'

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials worry water pumping will deplete the San Bernardino Valley springs and aquifer.

Construction of 30-foot high steel bollard wall on or near the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge near Arivaca in July 2020.

Border wall construction heightens environmental concerns in sensitive habitats

Local residents, a sheriff and a wildlife expert weigh in on the impacts of physical barriers at the southern border.

Jason Graham, director of wastewater plant operations with the city of Fort Collins, pulls a plastic jug from a sampling machine at the Drake Water Reclamation facility.

In Colorado, your stool is a tool in the fight against coronavirus

To track the next coronavirus outbreak, Western states look to the sewers.

Cracked mud flats appear on the surface of Quitobaquito pond on July 18, 2020.

Scientists: Border wall construction wreaking havoc at Quitobaquito Springs

More than two dozen ecologists, biologists and hydrologists say the desert oasis is in worse shape than ever.

'A worst-case scenario': Leaks, dust, water pumping and drought plague Quitobaquito

Border-hugging spring and its pond are sacred to Hia C-ed O'odham and the Tohono O'odham communities

Scientists have been studying the Colorado River, shown here from above Deer Creek Falls, for nearly four decades to understand the environmental impacts of the Glen Canyon Dam on a water source used by around 40 million people in seven states. The environment, climate change, tribal rights and those water users will all be considered in river-management talks expected to begin later this year.

Humpback chub 'alien abductions' help frame the future of the Colorado River

While not considered very "charismatic," this keystone fish plays an important role in water policy.

A drone photo shows construction work beginning in the San Pedro riverbed on June 30, 2020.

Border wall construction begins across San Pedro River

The controversial project across Arizona's last free-flowing river is underway.

The Humboldt River between Lovelock and Winnemucca on February 25, 2020. The river provides water to towns along the I-80 corridor, mines, businesses and agricultural operations in northern Nevada.

In Nevada, investors eye underground water storage as a path to profits

Some worry certain projects could threaten supplies in a place where water is already tight.

The Colorado River flows beneath Cibola Valley's Farmers' Bridge.

Arizona housing growth tees up opportunity for water investors

As Central Arizona booms, Phoenix exurbs are looking to rural areas for more water.

The Colorado River, the source of the Grand Valley’s irrigation water, flows through Debeque Canyon.

Western Colorado water purchases stir up worries about the future of farming

An investment trend based on the potential value of water has rekindled fears about the future of water in the West.

A train passes over the water in Cibola, Arizona. June 2020.

Growing Arizona metros look to rural communities for water

Private companies are also hoping to profit off the demand.

Drone camera image of border wall construction along the San Pedro River in early June, 2020.

CBP reveals a few more details about San Pedro River border barrier

The agency held an invitation-only meeting Friday to provide an update on the project.

The Colorado River, west of Yuma, Arizona, before it reaches Morelos Dam on the U.S.-Mexico border.

No border wall for Arizona tribe's Colorado River stretch

The cross-border Cocopah Indian Tribe has lived along the river delta for centuries.

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