Water Conservation

Rawlins continues to face water infrastructure issues. This comes about two years after the city ran out of water.

The Imperial Irrigation District in California announced it will conserve 100,000 acre-feet of water in 2024, less than its initial water conservation goals.

A new document from the federal government shows how some pressure is lifted from states that use water from the Colorado River until 2026, but bigger challenges lie ahead.

The Colorado River Basin is a water system that runs from the Rocky Mountains, starting in Wyoming, all the way into the desert of the southwest and Mexico. It provides water for 40 million people, but also for many other things, like agriculture and outdoor recreation. But in recent years, this system has been at record lows, and shortages are expected to get worse. So how can seven states, 30 Native American tribes and northern Mexico learn to live with less? KUNC’s reporter and managing editor Luke Runyon put together a podcast series exploring the issue. It is called ‘Thirst Gap’ and is out now. He spoke with Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan.

As drought continues to plague the West, Wyoming is in a unique position as a headwater state to the Colorado River, and how the state diverts its water will impact the entire region. That is why lawmakers are considering a bill that would give Wyoming community stakeholders a voice at the table.

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.

The pump failed last Friday and the Arapahoe Community Water system is still under a water advisory. Residents are told to boil their water for 3 minutes before use to prevent disease. Clinic will open Monday.

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.

A new study looking at how drought might affect the Colorado River Basin projects that states like Wyoming will have less available water.Researchers out of the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico explored several weather scenarios over the next 60 years in the Colorado River Basin.

On March 3, many Rawlins and Sinclair residents turned on their faucets only to find no water. School was canceled. Water use at the hospital was limited - workers had to haul buckets of water up several flights to flush toilets for patients. People did not know where to get drinking water. The water shortage lasted for seven days.