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July 21st, 2008
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Powell Pipeline Looks Less Like Smart Idea
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More scientists are making more dire predictions about how much the Colorado River water
levels could shrink in coming years due to climate change and less snowpack in the Rockies.
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July 18th, 2008
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Powell Pipeline now tabbed at $1.1 Billion
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The estimated cost of building the Lake Powell pipeline has nearly doubled in three years and
could continue to grow.
State officials on Friday say they expect construction of the 174-mile pipeline that would
bring water to Washington, Kane and Iron counties would cost at least $1.1 billion. In 2005, the
cost estimate was $585 million.
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June 19th, 2008
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Is pipeline agency up to Task?
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A powerful Western water official says the federal agency Utah has chosen to manage environmental
studies for the Lake Powell Pipeline project isn't up to the job and could worsen Colorado River
shortages.
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June 14th, 2008
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Questionable pipeline should be on ballot
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The Lake Powell pipeline: a savior for St. George's growth-based economy, a demon to enable more
ugly sprawl, or a mirage that will vanish as climate change dries up the Colorado River and the
mountain snowpack that feeds it?
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June 6th, 2008
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Warming may take toll on Colorado River
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Federal scientists and Western water managers will call Congress' attention today to
the potentially devastating effects of climate change on the Colorado River, warning that an expected
warming trend would reduce the amount of water in the river.
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March 24th, 2008
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Plan to 'flush' Grand Canyon stirs concerns
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The Grand Canyon is about to take a bath, and National Park Service officials who oversee the
natural wonder are worried.
Federal flood control managers, led by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, this week plan to
unleash millions of cubic feet of water from behind Glen Canyon Dam to "flush" the huge canyon
bottom with a simulated springtime flood.
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February 27th, 2008
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Lake Mead Dry
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There is a 50 percent chance Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the
southwestern United States, will be dry by 2021 if climate changes as expected and future water usage
is not curtailed, according to a pair of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San
Diego.
Without Lake Mead and neighboring Lake Powell, the Colorado River system has no buffer to sustain
the population of the Southwest through an unusually dry year, or worse, a sustained drought. In such
an event, water deliveries would become highly unstable and variable, said research marine physicist
Tim Barnett and climate scientist David Pierce.
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February 20th, 2008
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Potential Water Crisis Looming
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It's the most worrisome forecast yet for the water supply of the desert Southwest. Scientists at
a prestigious institution say a crisis is coming unless there are major policy changes.
There have been gloomy forecasts before, but this is the bleakest yet if you love Lake Powell or
if you care about water for big cities to our south and west.
Government experts are skeptical about the specifics of the forecast, but they agree there's
plenty to worry about.
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February 20th, 2008
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Will there be water?
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Perhaps the meeting last month between the Washington County Water Conservancy District and area
developers was premature. Considering that the federal government has restricted the West's most
essential water source, the Colorado River, with a potential declaration of a shortage that could
go into effect as soon as 2010, where does that leave the proposed Lake Powell pipeline? Will there
or won't there be water and if there's a chance there won't be, shouldn't alternatives to the pipeline
be planned?
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January 18th, 2008
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Drying of the West
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When provided with continuous nourishment, trees, like people, grow complacent.
Tree-ring scientists use the word to describe trees like those on the floor of the Colorado River Valley, whose roots tap
into thick reservoirs of moist soil. Complacent trees aren't much use for learning about climate history, because they pack
on wide new rings of wood even in dry years. To find trees that feel the same climatic pulses as the river, trees whose
rings widen and narrow from year to year with the river itself, scientists have to climb up the steep, rocky slopes above
the valley and look for gnarled, ugly trees, the kind that loggers ignore. For some reason such "sensitive" trees seem to
live longer than the complacent ones. "Maybe you can get too much of a good thing," says Dave Meko.
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November 30th, 2007
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Plan to dredge Lake Powell shortcut draws opposition
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A group advocating the draining of Lake Powell is calling on
members to oppose a plan that would deepen a popular shortcut for boaters.
Glen Canyon Institute president Richard Ingebretsen encouraged
organization members Tuesday to register their opposition to a plan aimed at
dredging the Castle Rock Cut by 15 feet.
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November 5th, 2007
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The Perfect Drought
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Water. Without it, there is no life. That's not news in the arid West. What is news is that the dual pressures of global
warming and population growth are placing severe stress on fresh water supplies across
the United States. Both the Southwest and the Southeast are enduring droughts.
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October 22nd, 2007
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Exploring the shrinking marvel of Lake Powell
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I grew up thinking of Lake Powell as sacred in the way that a mass grave is sacred. But
I’m also a practical person, and I see the lake as a giant highway offering access to some
of the most spectacular country in the West. It was the practical side that agreed when
my wife suggested spending three days sea kayaking the lake for our anniversary.
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October 21st, 2007
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The Future Is Drying Up
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Scientists sometimes refer to the effect a hotter world will have on this country’s fresh water as the other water
problem, because global warming more commonly evokes the specter of rising oceans submerging our great
coastal cities.
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May 30th, 2007
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Glen Canyon Dam: 50 years of controversy
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"The dam will be there, or it won't be there," [Ingebretsen] says while surveying the partially revealed Cathedral in the
Desert on the reservoir's Escalante arm. "But with the overuse of the water and global warming, Lake Powell won't
be here."
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April 26th, 2007
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Rethinking The Colorado
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Today, in a era of dramatic water-cycle fluctuations and proposed changes in the uses of
the Colorado River watershed, it is useful to examine how one of the West's most
controversial dams has evolved.
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December 13th, 2006
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Arizona Keeping Eye on Vegas Water-pipeline Plan
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The seven states - Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico - face more immediate
issues, such as unresolved differences on a riverwide drought plan and a desire by upstream states to use more of
their allocations. But just as all politics are local, most Western water issues are connected.
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December 1st, 2006
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Let's Talk About Washington County's Future
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Who is telling the truth about the Washington County Land Bill? In the last two weeks,
two opinion pieces have appeared in The Spectrum and have left readers wondering
where the truth about the bill is to be found.
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November 14th, 2006
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Growth Act is Ill-Conceived
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The proposed Washington County Growth and Conservation Act now before Congress is
ill-conceived, shortsighted and based on misleading information. It should be withdrawn
from consideration
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October 31st, 2006
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Global Warming: What about water?
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The Box Elder County farmer, who grows a variety of crops on 1,200 acres near here, has seen the spring runoff come down the Corrine Canal from the Bear River flows sooner than it used to. After nearly a lifetime of getting three cuts a season out of his alfalfa crop, Holmgren notes that he's now regularly getting four. And he and fellow members of the irrigation company that feeds the area's farms are paying out more in attorneys fees than they ever have before to settle water rig hts disputes.
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October 31st, 2006
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Preserving Civilizations
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ST. GEORGE - Records of two civilizations could be damaged by a reservoir at Ft. Pearce, which would be authorized by the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act.
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October 16th, 2006
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Glen Canyon Still a Lightning Rod
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Fifty years after the first explosive blast signaled the beginning of construction on Glen Canyon Dam and its mission to store and manage millions of gallons of water from the Colorado River, critics of the massive federal project are calling for its demise while other experts say it's vital to the West's water-storage system. "Glen Canyon Dam is a boondoggle," said Richard Ingebretsen...
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August 24th, 2005
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Conservationists oppose drilling near Glen Canyon
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Members of conservation groups filed more than 79,000 written comments opposing oil drilling in a remote corner of Utah's Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From KUTV News.
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August 24th, 2005
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Moab Concerns: Moving contamination brings a new set of headaches
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Rolling through the scenic redrock toward Arches National Park, carloads of tourists can't help but notice radiation-warnings signs dotting the fence along Highway 191 and, behind it, people in white toxic cleanup suits. From the Salt Lake Tribune.
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August 23rd, 2005
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Upcoming Events: A river's story
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An exhibition of photos and artifacts called "Moving Waters: The Colorado River and the West" is part of a seven-state project that examines how people live on and off the river.
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August 21st, 2005
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Tree-ring data gives history of droughts
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Using data from tree rings, University of Arizona researches conclude the water supply for the Upper Colorado, Salt, and Verde river basin has fluctuated in synchrony during periods of severe drought. From PhysOrg.com.
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August 19th, 2005
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UA study: Dangers of drought heightened
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The study found that severe droughts reduced flows both on the upper Colorado River and Arizona's Salt and Verde rivers, weakening the state's most important water sources all at once. That challenges the long-held belief that Arizona could count on the Colorado as a reliable buffer when in-state rivers run low. From the Arizona Republic.
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August 19th, 2005
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Subsidy in jeopardy: Powell ferry faces closure
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The chairman of the San Juan County Commission is convinced something can be done to save the Lake Powell ferry. State transportation officials will meet in Cedar City today and among the topics discussed will be the fate of the ferry, which runs between Bullfrog and Hall's Crossing. From the Deseret Morning News.
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August 18th, 2005
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Voice Your Opinion on the Glen Canyon Dam
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The Bureau of Reclamation is accepting public comments on the reoperation of the nation's two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead. From the Outdoor News Wire.
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August 17th, 2005
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Luxury resort planned near Lake Powell
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A group of European investors and the Singapore-based hotel management company Amanresorts have announced plans for a luxury resort to be built atop a Kane County plateau overlooking Lake Powell. From USA Today.
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August 16th, 2005
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Changing Levels at Arizona Lakes Costly
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Drought caused the water levels at Lake Powell and Lade Mead to plunge, forcing the federal government to shell out millions to compensate for the losses. From the Washington Post.
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August 9th, 2005
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Contamination seeping toward Colorado River
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Contamination of groundwater from current and past gasoline stations on First Street in Grand Junction is slowly making its way to the Colorado River. From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
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August 9th, 2005
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Water Wars: Colorado Rive plan applauded, criticized
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Water officials from California, Arizona, and Nevada have joined with the federal government to enact a 50-year plan designed to both protect the lower Colorado River and ensure human needs are met. From BASS Times.
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August 2nd, 2005
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Bush returns 15,000 acres to Colorado River Tribe
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More than 15,000 acres off Interstate 90 in western Arizona that were taken away from the Colorado River Indian Tribes' reservation 90 years ago are being returned under a bill President Bush signed into law Tuesday. From the Arizona Republic.
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August 1st, 2005
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Colorado River can't meet demand
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Even when the drought ends, the Colorado River can't keep up with growing downstream and upstream demands, officials and water experts from both sides of the Continental Divide say. From the Durango Herald.
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July 29th, 2005
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Bureau of Reclamation says it won't drain Lake Powell
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Bureau of Reclamation officials heard a variety of views Thursday on how the federal agency should manage Lake Powell and Lake Mead in future years, with an emphasis on forging new rules for the reservoirs during drought. From the Salt Lake Tribune.
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July 29th, 2005
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State reaching limits on water
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Colorado's total allocation of water from the Colorado River Compact is about 3.9 million acre-feet every 10 years, and most of what can be developed will be consumed by Animas-La Plata and Denver in the coming decades. From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
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July 28th, 2005
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Upper Colorado River basin residents weigh in on drought plan
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A Utah enviornmental group today renewed its call for Glen Canyon Dam to be decommissioned and Lake Powell drained. From KOLD-TV / AP.
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July 26th, 2005
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Toxic waste near river to be moved
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More than 12 million tons of radioactive waste will be moved away from the Colorado River, which provides drinking water for more than 25 million people across the West. From the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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July 22nd, 2005
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Conservation groups sue to protect Glen Canyon from enviornmental damage
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Great Old Broads for Wilderness and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit today in federal district court in the District of Columbia to compel Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to protect the fragile resources of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area from damage caused by livestock grazing. Press release from the Center for Biological Diversity.
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July 20th, 2005
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Suit is filed over plan to line canal
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A long-standing border dispute flared anew Tuesday when Mexican and California groups sued the U.S. government over a water conservation project that will stop billions of gallons of Colorado River water from seeping under the border each year into an aquifer that supplies the bustling Mexicali Valley. From the Los Angeles Times.
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July 17th, 2005
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Vegas Water Wars
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Growth's all well and good, but where's the water going to come from? "It's a real boom down there, but there's a lot more land in Nevada than there is water coming out of the Colorado," says Scott Balcomb. From the San Francisco Chronicle.
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July 11th, 2005
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Is This Worth a Dam?
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Demolition experts blasted a 100-ft. hole in the Embrey Dam in 2004. Virginia's Rappahannock is now one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the 48. There's a movement afoot to pull down old or ecologically unsound dams. From Time Magazine.
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June 26th, 2005
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2005 Has Had Big Runoff But Not Big Flooding
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Despite heavy autumn rain and record-level snowpack across Utah, Brian McInerney, hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said this year was not an exceptional one for flooding. From the Deseret News.
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June 19th, 2005
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Houseboat Heaven: Flush It
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The "Jewel of the Colorado" is gone for good. Op-Ed from the Los Angeles Times.
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June 19th, 2005
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Let's Leave a Trickle for Birds Without Borders
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If you want to know what's wrong with the Colorado River, visit Cucap· el Mayor, 40 miles below the border. Op-Ed from the Los Angeles Times.
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June 19th, 2005
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With or without water, Desert Jewels sparkle on Utah-Arizona border
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For the first time in 40 years travelers at Lake Powell can access one of the lake's most beautiful scenic chambers, a buried treasure that has been uncovered by years of drought. From the Albuquerque Journal.
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June 16th, 2005
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Meetings to focus on Colorado River water pact
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Comments will lead to seven-state sharing agreement. From the Rocky Mountain News.
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June 16th, 2005
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SNWA releases new drought numbers
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The water from melting snow on Mount Charleston will not make it to Lake Mead for 100 years according to hydrologists. The wet winter all over the west will also not really help the levels in the lake. From KLAS TV.
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June 15th, 2005
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DOE boss reassures Huntsman on funds to move Moab tailings
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$400M: The money is coming, the governor is told, but he gets no support for Utah's nuclear waste fight. From the Salt Lake Tribune.
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June 13th, 2005
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Comments wanted on Glen Canyon drilling
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Several public lands agencies are requesting public input on a company's request to drill an exploratory gas well inside the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
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June 3rd, 2005
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Conservation icon plans a final campaign
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From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
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May 27th, 2005
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Land swap proposed
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Deal would protect S. Utah wilderness, senators say. From the Deseret Morning News.
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May 17th, 2005
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Water Wars Move Underground
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Cities seek to refill aquifers emptied by extensive pumping, but another agency claims control over reserves. From the Los Angeles Times.
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May 14th, 2005
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The Brief but Wonderful Return of Cathedral in the Desert
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From the Salt Lake Tribune.
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May 3rd, 2005
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Bad Projects Never Die
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From the Denver Post.
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May 3rd, 2005
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Interior Secretary settles dispute over level of Lake Powell
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California, Arizona, and Nevada win their effort to maintain releases into the Colorado River. From the Los Angeles Times.
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May 2nd, 2005
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Wet winter doesn't douse water wars
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Seven western states can't agree on allocation. From the Washington Post.
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May 1st, 2005
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The Return of Glen Canyon
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From the Chicago Tribune.
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April 14th, 2005
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Biologists to see if latest experiment on Colorado River helped fish habitat
|
From the Deseret Morning News.
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April 8th, 2005
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From the depths, a Cathedral emerges
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From the New York Times.
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April 3rd, 2005
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Exposing Utah's depths
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A six-year drought has dropped Lake Powell's water level, revealing a once-hidden world. Hikers can explore the sculptured canyons, spires, and arches - for now. From the Los Angeles Times.
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March 22nd, 2005
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New water projects could increase taxes
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From KSL TV.
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March 22nd, 2005
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Two Wyoming firms seek OK to reopen uranium ore mill
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From the Deseret Morning News.
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March 21st, 2005
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After winter rains, Upper Basin states mull water strategy
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From Greenwire.
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March 21st, 2005
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ESA 'pretty much inoperable,' DOJ's attorney says
|
From Greenwire.
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March 19th, 2005
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Uranium mill may get second chance
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Price soars above $21 per pound: demand for the ore is now far outstripping supply. From the Salt Lake Tribune.
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March 19th, 2005
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Limited water supplies force balance of interests in US Southwest
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From Voice of America.
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March 19th, 2005
|
|
Bleak forecast for ski industry
|
ASPEN - Colorado's $2 billion ski industry could be dead by 2050 unless radical steps are taken to address global warming and save the state's prized champagne powder.
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March 19th, 2005
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Legislator: turn off Lake Powell tap
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From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
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March 17th, 2005
|
|
America's Lost National Park: Glen Canyon Slowly Reappears
|
In Glen Canyon, on the border of Arizona and Utah, Mother Nature herself is reversing what founding Sierra Club director David Brower called "America's most regretted environmental mistake." From Frommer's.
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March 16th, 2005
|
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Despite rain, drought may not be over
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Snow pack off the charts; experts say respite may only be temporary. From The Spectrum.
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August 15th, 2004
|
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Environment Pays Price For Vegas Boom
|
Wealthy tax-dodgers are now being accused of creating an unrestricted urban sprawl that threatens environmental disaster. From The Scotsman.
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July 25th, 2004
|
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Drought diminishes river
|
Ranchers, cities near headwaters are last in line for water. From The Arizona Republic.
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July 19th, 2004
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Glen Canyon: drought's silver lining
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The recent boat ramp closures at Lake Powell have triggered concern about drought-induced changes in the West. Amid this cloud of concern over a sustainable western water supply is a silver lining: the restoration of legendary Glen Canyon. From the Deseret Morning News.
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June 10th, 2004
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The Grand Canyon is ailing, but panel can't agree on a prescription
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It's hard to get the sense anything is wrong in the Grand Canyon while floating through it. But all is not well in this crown jewel of America's national park system. From the Napa Valley Register.
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May 6th, 2004
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We in West must reassess extent, use of our precious water supply
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After six years of unrelenting drought, an uncomfortable question is being asked more frequently in the Southwest: Will we have enough water to sustain human habitation here? From the East Valley Tribune.
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May 3rd, 2004
|
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Arizona Lake Area Faces End of Tourism
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NPR News (audio)
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April 8th, 2004
|
|
Glen Canyon Dam more a hindrance than a help
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A common response to the continuing drought in the West is one of alarm over water supply and the Colorado River. People have been worried about the increasingly dysfunctional Law of the River for decades. From Headwaters News.
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February 29th, 2004
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Rafting Past Ghosts in Utah
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When river runners swap tales, they tend to focus on fearsome rapids and sneaky currents and rafts flipped like bath toys by a river's force. The channeled exhilaration of riding a tumult of white water has a way of relegating all other river attractions to the background. From the New York Times.
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January 6th, 2004
|
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The outing of a big-time poser lake
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A move to drain Lake Powell of its lakehood leaves a reservoir of cartographic correctness. From the Los Angeles Times.
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|
January 1st, 2004
|
|
Dam Nation
|
When they went up, Western dams were heralded as modern miracles. Now they're starting to come down. From Via Magazine.
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|
December 22nd, 2003
|
|
Being Green in the Land of the Saints
|
In the heartland of the Mormon Church, a new movement is taking root. From High Country News.
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September 12th, 2003
|
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The Beauty of Glen Canyon, Revealed
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From the Savvy Traveler Rundown (audio)
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April 27th, 2003
|
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As Lake Falls, Debate Over Glen Canyon Rises Anew
|
That giant sucking sound in the West is the unprecedented emptying of Lake Powell, the critical and controversial Colorado River reservoir that is draining like a tub with the plug pulled. From the Washington Post.
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