Climate Drought
All Stories
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![A road stretches through the desert]()
![A road stretches through the desert]()
Tribes could lease their water to dry states. Why is it so hard?
The Colorado River Indian Tribes can now lease water to non-Indigenous users along the drought-stricken river. Most nations can’t do the same.
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![Steam rises above the cooling towers in The Dalles data center in Oregon. These plumes of water vapor create a quiet mist at dusk.]()
![Steam rises above the cooling towers in The Dalles data center in Oregon. These plumes of water vapor create a quiet mist at dusk.]()
The surging demand for data is guzzling Virginia’s water
The commonwealth is home to the data center capital of the world. Can it handle AI's thirst?
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![Water pours from the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River in Washington.]()
![Water pours from the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River in Washington.]()
Rivers are the West’s largest source of clean energy. What happens when drought strikes?
With rivers across the West running low, utilities must get creative if they are to meet demand without increasing emissions.
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![A collage of several photos of trees, with the center image of a tree highlighted with yellow rectangles on the crown, denoting rot or dying leaves]()
![A collage of several photos of trees, with the center image of a tree highlighted with yellow rectangles on the crown, denoting rot or dying leaves]()
As the climate changes, cities scramble to find trees that will survive
“Everybody is looking for the magic tree.”
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![A dry irrigation canal runs between almond orchards in Chowchilla, California. The state's landmark groundwater law will force farmers to fallow tens of thousands of acres.]()
![A dry irrigation canal runs between almond orchards in Chowchilla, California. The state's landmark groundwater law will force farmers to fallow tens of thousands of acres.]()
In a first, California cracks down on farms guzzling groundwater
Regulators just imposed unprecedented fees on water usage in the state's agricultural heartland.
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![Glen Canyon Dam holds back water to create the Lake Powell reservoir. The dam divides the river's Upper Basin from its Lower Basin.]()
![Glen Canyon Dam holds back water to create the Lake Powell reservoir. The dam divides the river's Upper Basin from its Lower Basin.]()
States and tribes scramble to reach Colorado River deals before election
Landmark agreements would cut big states’ water usage for decades and deliver water to the Navajo Nation.
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![An aerial view of highways cutting through snowy land and a river running through them.]()
![An aerial view of highways cutting through snowy land and a river running through them.]()
In $100 million Colorado River deal, water and power collide
The Colorado River District plans to buy the water rights that flow through Colorado's Shoshone hydropower plant. The acquisition is seen as pivotal for a wide swath of the state, and has been co-signed by farmers, environmental groups, and local governments.
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![Driftwood logs sit along the shoreline of Upper Klamath Lake]()
![Driftwood logs sit along the shoreline of Upper Klamath Lake]()
As the Klamath River dries, tribal nations and farmers come to rare agreement
“What’s at stake is our very livelihood, our culture, our identities, our way of life."
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Intensifying atmospheric rivers are leading to a surge in Valley fever cases in California
The fungal pathogen is thriving as the Golden State bounces between drought and flooding.
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![An aerial view of a mining pit next to a town.]()
![An aerial view of a mining pit next to a town.]()
Is the Southwest too dry for a mining boom?
Critical minerals for the clean energy transition are abundant in the Southwest, but the dozens of mines proposed to access them will require vast sums of water, something in short supply in the desert.
