CU Water Desk

A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling significantly narrowed federal Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and intermittent streams, prompting Colorado to create a new state permitting program and New Mexico to develop a similar system. Supporters say the new state rules will help protect vulnerable waterways in the arid West, though officials acknowledge the programs will require significant resources and cannot fully replace federal oversight.

For Dave and Gaye Babcock, Lake Powell is like part of the family.The couple from Helper, Utah, have been coming for nearly 50 years. They got engaged at the lake. His daughter’s wedding was right here at Bullfrog Bay.

The Bullfrog Marina relocation will take another three to five weeks to complete.

With post-2026 negotiations deadlocked and legal tensions rising, the Colorado River's emergency actions buy a year at best, leaving the basin's deeper challenges unresolved.

The iconic, controversial structure becomes Colorado River’s biggest water chokepoint.

Putting a price tag on the water stored in the region’s high-elevation frozen reservoir

As blazes expand to higher elevations, the impacts cascade downstream

A forecasted winter La Niña, lingering drought conditions and dwindling reservoirs are causing water managers to worry.

Southwest utilities are diversifying their electricity assets