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The stretch of the Verde River that goes through Clarkdale ends near the Tuzigoot Road Bridge.

The Buzz takes a trip down the Verde River

We're revisiting this episode after it and another The Buzz episode were honored by PMJA
Snow falls on the Colorado River near New Castle, Colorado, on January 11, 2023. Months of snow and rain soaked a region in the grips of drought and helped replenish reservoirs along the Colorado River.

Months of wet weather erase drought across the Southwest

Only 28% of the region is experiencing drought.
Water levels in Lake Powell, seen here in May 2021, are dipping dangerously low. The federal government has proposed an unprecedented plan to cut back on water supplies for Arizona, Nevada and California. The measure aims to keep water levels high enough to generate hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam.

Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation in Colorado River water rights case

Colorado had argued that siding with the Navajo Nation would undermine existing agreements and disrupt the management of the river.
A view of the Colorado River near the Silver Bridge on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. From November 2022.

Tucson releases draft water plan

The city is now asking for the public to provide feedback on the draft plan.

Environmental groups file lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service

The agency authorized two mineral exploration projects in the Patagonia Mountains.
Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower

Governor signs law ending Arizona water dispute involving upscale Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale

The bill obliges Scottsdale to provide Rio Verde Foothills with access to its water.

Why water well goes dry

Pima County is helping with a solution.
Low water levels at Wahweap Bay at Lake Powell along the Upper Colorado River Basin are shown, on June 9, 2021, at the Utah and Arizona border at Wahweap, Ariz.

Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027

The U.S. Interior Department said it will publish in the Federal Register on Friday a call for replacing guidelines that expire in 2026.
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.

ADEQ, fire departments dispose over 6,000 gallons of firefoam containing PFAS

The collaboration comes from the AFFF Take Back and Replace pilot-program
The Central Arizona Project moves water from the Colorado River to southern Arizona. July 2021

Arizona to restrict some new construction in fast-growing areas of Phoenix reliant on groundwater

Officials said the move would not affect existing homeowners who already have assured water supplies.
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.

Arizona AG Kris Mayes sues manufacturers for PFAS contamination

The companies have known about the 'forever chemicals' for decades
The City of Tucson will voluntarily reduce its water allocations from the Colorado River by up to 110,000 acre-feet through 2025. The multi-year agreement was signed by Mayor Regina Romero, alongside the Bureau of Reclamation through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) on Wednesday, May 24.

Tucson signs agreement to use less Colorado River water

The voluntary deal offers the City of Tucson $400 per acre-foot as compensation for every unit conserved.
A pontoon boat is tied up at the shore of a recently-revealed beach in one of Lake Powell's side canyons on April 10, 2023

At Lake Powell, record low water levels reveal an 'amazing silver lining'

Water managers are under pressure to keep water flowing through hydroelectric turbines within Glen Canyon Dam, which holds back Powell.
The seven states in the Colorado River basin couldn't agree on a plan to conserve unprecedented amounts of water before a federal deadline. Meanwhile, grim projections for the future of water levels in Lake Mead have forced mandatory cuts to water for some users in the lower basin. Federal authorities are trying to prop up levels in the nation's largest reservoir before they dip too low to generate hydropower or allow the passage of water.

California, Arizona, Nevada offer landmark drought deal to use less Colorado River water — for now

The plan would conserve an additional 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026, when current guidelines for how the river is shared expire.

Beaver River

Tag along on recent efforts to reintroduce beavers to the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora.
A set of four tubes known as the "river outlet works" allows extra water to flow through the Glen Canyon Dam. The flows are designed to take advantage of extra wet years and help wildlife habitat downstream of the dam.

An extra pulse of water is flowing into Grand Canyon after a wet winter

This experiment is the first since 2018 and comes in response to forecasts for an above-average spring snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains.

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