https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. With western states deadlocked in negotiations over how to cut water use along the Colorado River, the Trump administration has called in the governors of seven states to Washington to try to hash out a consensus. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-western-governors-washington-colorado-river.html Environment Fri, 23 Jan 2026 19:30:01 EST news688368617 Federal officials gave the clearest timeline yet for when a breakthrough could come in closed-door negotiations over the water supply of 40 million Americans. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-river-strict-timeline-colorado.html Environment Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:40:07 EST news685269523 Negotiators for seven Western states are under mounting pressure to reach an agreement outlining how they plan to share the Colorado River's dwindling water. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-trump-administration-western-states-consensus.html Environment Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:40:04 EST news681989736 The Colorado River, which provides water across the Southwest, has lost about 20% of its flow in the last quarter-century, and its depleted reservoirs continue to decline. But negotiations aimed at addressing the water shortage are at an impasse, and leaders of environmental groups say the secrecy surrounding the talks is depriving the public of an opportunity to weigh in. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-millions-dwindling-colorado-river-dark.html Earth Sciences Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:00:03 EDT news678955000 The crisis along the Colorado River is coming to a head as seven state negotiators fail to deliver an agreement on how to manage it over the next 20 years. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-leadership-failure-lake-mead-peril.html Environment Thu, 02 Oct 2025 10:20:03 EDT news678617287 "Keep Tahoe Blue" may not be the most common bumper sticker in California, but it's certainly one of them. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-californians-insidious-invader-held-bay.html Plants & Animals Thu, 31 Jul 2025 08:50:07 EDT news673170505 Forecasters are confident it's a particularly bad water year for the Colorado River, worrying some about a likely return to record low levels in reservoirs that are reminiscent of 2022. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-lake-mead-crisis.html Earth Sciences Mon, 12 May 2025 10:30:01 EDT news666259122 A combination of water management practices has contributed to notable groundwater gains in Central Arizona despite the region dealing with long-term water stress, according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and collaborators in Arizona and Colorado. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-groundwater-gains-arizona-policies-climate.html Earth Sciences Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:15:04 EDT news662652901 Federal officials released a range of scenarios on Nov 20 that could be used to manage the over-allocated and shrinking Colorado River as time for the seven basin states to reach an agreement grows short. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-feds-options-future-colorado-river.html Environment Fri, 22 Nov 2024 07:40:01 EST news651483455 Water from Colorado's West Slope basins plays a vital role in supporting the economy and natural environment across seven western U.S. states, but a new study finds that even under modest climate projections, the basins face a potential tipping point where traditional water delivery levels to Lake Powell and other critical areas may no longer be sustainable. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-colorado-river-basins-drought.html Earth Sciences Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:34:01 EST news650734438 Researchers investigating the historic stresses of the American West's water supply have identified a simple solution that could put parts of the Colorado River Basin on a more sustainable path. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-urge-outdated-aid-colorado-river.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:23:26 EDT news644077402 A common line of questions has emerged from visitors to Utah's Arches National Park in the week since an iconic rock arch at Lake Powell known as the "Toilet Bowl" collapsed. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-collapse-iconic-arch-utah-famous.html Environment Fri, 16 Aug 2024 04:17:54 EDT news643000664 "Sometimes the crazy ideas lead to watershed improvements." That was a key takeaway from research conducted by Utah State University, published in the American Society of Civil Engineer's Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-collaborative-generates-lessons-lake.html Environment Wed, 31 Jul 2024 06:29:52 EDT news641626187 An invasive species capable of wiping out entire aquatic ecosystems and causing millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure has been found for the first time in the Colorado River, the most important river in the American Southwest. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-invasive-species-colorado-river-capable.html Plants & Animals Sat, 20 Jul 2024 08:40:01 EDT news640600689 The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced it will invest $700 million in federal funding for long-term water conservation projects across the Lower Colorado River Basin, including Lake Mead. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-million-colorado-river-federal.html Environment Fri, 07 Jun 2024 07:20:01 EDT news636959971 Plumbing problems at the dam holding back the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. are spurring concerns about future water delivery issues to Southwestern states supplied by the Colorado River. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-plumbing-problem-glen-canyon-threat.html Environment Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:10:05 EDT news632545792 Key backup tubes inside the Glen Canyon Dam might be damaged, potentially threatening the delivery of water to Lake Mead in the future if water levels ever dip too low in Lake Powell, according to a Bureau of Reclamation memo. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-brace-uncertainty-lake-mead.html Environment Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:33:40 EDT news632057615 Negotiators for the seven states that rely on the Colorado River for nearly every aspect of life cannot agree on how to distribute its shrinking water supplies in the coming decades. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-colorado-river-states-critical.html Environment Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:42:39 EST news629037752 The seven Colorado River states face a quickly approaching deadline to present a unified plan for how to manage the drying river that provides water for 40 million people across the West. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-colorado-river-states.html Earth Sciences Mon, 19 Feb 2024 11:24:05 EST news627564241 When it comes to the Colorado River, history often repeats itself—but it doesn't have to. That's the take-home message from CU Boulder hydrologist Shemin Ge, who will present a little-known piece of history from the river this Thursday at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-overlooked-century-fuel-colorado-river.html Earth Sciences Thu, 14 Dec 2023 20:00:01 EST news621782549 Current plans for reducing water use along the Colorado River should be sufficient to stave off risks of reservoirs reaching critically low levels over the next three years, according to a new analysis by the federal government. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-feds-colorado-river-sufficient-stave.html Environment Thu, 26 Oct 2023 09:00:01 EDT news617528121 While documenting fossil tracksites along a stretch of Lake Powell, a Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Glen Canyon NRA) field crew discovered the first tritylodontid bonebed found in the Navajo Sandstone in Utah. These extremely rare fossils are one of the more important fossil vertebrate discoveries in the United States this year. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-rare-jurassic-fossils-lake-powell.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 16 Oct 2023 10:12:35 EDT news616669950 High up in a dazzlingly white, tree-lined valley of the Rocky Mountains, two scientists armed with skis and clipboards peer at the long hollow tube they have just thrust vertically into a pristine snow drift. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-colorado-survey-scoops-evidence-year.html Environment Wed, 12 Apr 2023 04:30:03 EDT news600492214 Headlines about California's water situation are awash with numbers. Following the worst drought in 1,200 years, the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides 30% of the state's water, is now among the biggest ones in 70 years. State reservoirs are at 73% capacity and more than half of CA is now officially out of drought. What to make of all these statistics? https://phys.org/news/2023-04-drought-deluge-california.html Environment Mon, 10 Apr 2023 11:52:03 EDT news600346321 Record snowfall and rain have helped to loosen drought's grip on parts of the western U.S. as national forecasters and climate experts warned Thursday that some areas should expect more flooding as the snow begins to melt. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-drought-outlook-reliefand.html Environment Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:33:12 EDT news598195986 Parts of California are under water, the Rocky Mountains are bracing for more snow, flood warnings are in place in Nevada, and water is being released from some Arizona reservoirs to make room for an expected bountiful spring runoff. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-scientists-largest-reservoirs.html Environment Thu, 16 Mar 2023 04:42:03 EDT news598160519 It's not even March yet, but the mountains that feed the Colorado River already have seen more snow this winter than they normally would through an entire snow season. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-nice-big-rockies-snowpack-boost.html Earth Sciences Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:45:03 EST news596907901 One of the Colorado River's two major reservoirs is expected to collect better than average runoff this year, thanks to an unusually wet La Nina pattern that dropped a deluge of snow up and down the basin. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-la-nina-winter-lake-powell.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Feb 2023 13:53:54 EST news595173229 As Western states haggle over reducing water use because of declining flows in the Colorado River Basin, a more hopeful drama is playing out in Glen Canyon. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-lake-powell-emergent-landscape-lifeand.html Earth Sciences Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:17:04 EST news594998220 California has submitted a rival plan for use of the Colorado River, after six other states accused it of refusing to cooperate in the battle over usage of a dwindling major US watercourse. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-california-submits-rival-colorado-river.html Environment Thu, 02 Feb 2023 04:10:02 EST news594533071