Las Vegas water agency seeks power to limit residential use
Nevada lawmakers are considering a significant shift in water use for Las Vegas, one of the driest major metropolitan areas in the U.S. The water agency managing the city's Colorado River water supply is seeking authority to limit what comes out of residents' taps.
Environmental advocates push feds to investigate Texasโ enforcement of water quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to investigate allegations that the state is failing to enforce the Clean Water Act. Environmentalists say the Texas Commission on Environmental Qualityโs system of issuing permits has made it too easy for industries to contaminate rivers, lakes and estuaries.
Biologists' fears confirmed on the lower Colorado River
Confirming their worst fears for record-low lake levels, National Park Service fisheries biologists have discovered that a non-native predator fish has made its way through Glen Canyon Dam to the lower Colorado River, where it can prey on ancient native fish they have been working to reestablish.
Western states chart diverging paths as water shortages loom
The six members of the Colorado River Authority of Utah would oversee the state's negotiations on the drought plan and other rules that expire in 2026. Other states, such as Colorado and Wyoming, also are pursuing projects to shore up their water supply. The lower basin states โ Arizona, California and Nevada โ get specific amounts that are subject to cuts. The Arizona law doesn't affect the Colorado River but could boost water in other streams and rivers for wildlife habitat, recreation or city use. The 29 tribes in the Colorado River basin collectively hold rights to about 20% of its flow.
Bus heading to Grand Canyon rolls over; 1 dead, 2 critical
(Mohave County Sheriff's Office via AP)DOLAN SPRINGS, Ariz. โ A Las Vegas-based tour bus heading to the Grand Canyon rolled over in northwestern Arizona on Friday, killing one person and critically injuring two others, authorities said. โA lot of them were saying the bus driver was driving at a high rate of speed,โ he said. The bus was heading to Grand Canyon West, about 2 1/2 hours from Las Vegas and outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. Before the pandemic, about 1 million people a year visited Grand Canyon West, mostly through tours booked out of Las Vegas. Rafters who are on trips through the Grand Canyon also can get on and off the river on the reservation.
Congress takes aim at climate change in massive relief bill
The energy and climate provisions, supported by lawmakers from both parties, were hailed as the most significant climate change law in at least a decade. โMake no mistake,'' he said, the new legislation "will soon be some of the most significant climate solutions to pass out of Congress to date.'' Marty Durbin, a senior vice president at the Chamber of Commerce, called the package โ the first major energy bill in more than a decade โ โtruly historicโ and among the most significant action Congress has ever taken to address climate change. The bill will not only address climate change, but also "promote American technological leadership and foster continued economic growth,'' Durbin said. The dramatic if gradual reduction of HFCs in particular โwill bring significant climate relief relatively quickly,'' said Matt Casale, director of environment campaigns for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Water shortages in US West likelier than previously thought
(AP Photo/John Locher,File)CARSON CITY, Nev. โ There's a chance water levels in the two largest man-made reservoirs in the United States could dip to critically low levels by 2025, jeopardizing the steady flow of Colorado River water that more than 40 million people rely on in the American West. After a relatively dry summer, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released models on Tuesday suggesting looming shortages in Lake Powell and Lake Mead โ the reservoirs where Colorado River water is stored โ are more likely than previously projected. Compared with an average year, only 55% of Colorado River water is flowing from the Rocky Mountains down to Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona line. Scientists use what's called the Colorado River Simulation System to project future levels of the two reservoirs. When projections drop below 1,075 feet (328 meters), Nevada and Arizona will face deeper cuts mandated by the plan.
6 Western states blast Utah plan to tap Colorado River water
That is not a recipe for creating the kind of meaningful and positive change needed to sustain the Colorado River in the coming decades, they wrote. The Lake Powell Pipeline project would divert 86,000 acre-feet (106 billion liters) of water to Washington County, Utah. Under the agreements between the seven states, cuts would hit Arizona, California and Nevada before affecting Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Although the project isolates Utah from the other states that rely on the river, it would keep pushing for the pipeline, said Todd Adams, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. The states are contending with a drier future as they renegotiate agreements that detail how Colorado River water is doled out.
Feds give 65 acres of land for border wall infrastructure
FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2019, file photo government contractors erect a section of Pentagon-funded border wall along the Colorado River, in Yuma, Ariz. The federal Bureau of Land Management said on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, it's transferred over 65 acres of public land in Arizona and New Mexico to the Army for construction of border wall infrastructure. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)PHOENIX The federal Bureau of Land Management said on Tuesday that it has transferred over 65 acres of public land in Arizona and New Mexico to the Army for construction of border wall infrastructure. The agency says its now handing over 53 acres in Yuma County, Arizona, that is needed to install power and other utilities around the border wall there. This marks the second time in the past year that the agency has transferred public land to the military for border wall-related construction.
Matagorda Bay beckons families to its secluded natural playground
Iโm not going to get eaten by anything.โApparently, our visit to Matagorda Bay Nature Park had made an impression on the girl. Matagorda Bay Nature Park sits on a peninsula separated from the mainland town of Matagorda by bays and wetlands. At Matagorda Bay Nature Park, weโd discovered both a rich sanctuary for wildlife and a new perspective on survival. โMatagorda Bay Nature Park offers campsites starting at $40 per night and two Airstreams for $225 per night. Matagorda Bay Nature Park - 6420 FM 2031, Matagorda.
One-tank trips: 5 places you should visit in Bastrop
Bastrop, TexasDistance from downtown Houston to Bastrop: 134 milesYou may pass by Bastrop every time you take the drive up to Austin. Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & SpaAround 23 miles outside Austin, The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines is nestled along the Colorado River located on 405 acres. Bastrop State ParkLocated 32 miles east of Austin, Bastrop State Park has been attracting visitors for over 70 years. Different downtown attractions include the Bastrop Opera House, Dinosaur Park and Lost Pines Art Center. El Camino Real Paddling TrailPaddle the El Camino Real Paddling Trail.
1 dead, 1 missing after boat capsizes near Colorado River in Matagorda County
MATAGORDA COUNTY โ One person is dead and another is missing Saturday after a boat capsized near Colorado River in Matagorda County, Coast Guard officials said. A good Samaritan reported seeing a 16-foot pleasure craft carrying four boaters without lifejackets on capsize at 10:30 a.m.Coast Guard officials rescued two boaters and later recovered the body of the third boater near the capsized boat, officials said. Crews are searching offshore of the mouth of the Colorado River for the fourth boater. "We will continue to aggressively search throughout the night for the missing boater," said Lt. Cmdr. "This is currently the top priority of Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi."