drought

Climate change is causing the American West to experience what’s now being called a megadrought…the worst water shortage in 1,200 years. The Ogallala Aquifer is a huge underground water source supplying eight states where it may seem safely stored away. But as one ranching community in southeast Wyoming is finding out…that water is disappearing. Part of the problem is that water law hasn’t kept up with emerging science.

A summer deadline approaches for state leaders to agree on how to cut their water use from the Colorado River.

As water levels in Lake Powell keep dropping, activists say Glen Canyon Dam is in need of upgrades to its plumbing so it can keep sending water downstream.

Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse (D), a chief sponsor of the bill, says the package confronts the effects of climate change in the West.

Much of southeast Wyoming set record breaking temperatures earlier this week, and the area is likely to continue to see hot weather throughout the week.

Many are calling the flooding in Yellowstone National Park a once-in-500 years event. The water was so high and rapid it washed away roads and buildings and completely changed the landscape of the park.Meanwhile, much of the region is experiencing a historic lack of water. Erin Whorton, a water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Services, said it is possible for there to be flooding even when an area is in a drought.

Colorado River water managers are facing a monumental task. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has asked seven western states to commit to an unprecedented amount of conservation and do it before a deadline later this summer. This comes amid shrinking water levels in the nation's largest reservoirs.

How can there be historic flooding when there is also a historic lack of water?

Weeds. Cannabis Consulting is testing several hundred plants in central New Mexico to see which cannabis strains can best tolerate heat and drought. They hope the experiment will help cannabis farmers throughout the West grapple with drought and climate change.

Progress is being made on the Rawlins and Sinclair water infrastructure after parts of the towns went without water for seven days in March.Poorly maintained and aging infrastructure that supplies Rawlins and Sinclair residents with drinking water led to water shortages, and a sustained drought did not help the issue.