No time to read the articles? This week’s Western Water Weekly breaks down last week’s water stories in the Colorado River Basin states and why they matter.
A major tribal water rights settlement is back before Congress in Arizona, potentially reshaping regional water planning for decades. In Northern California, a century-old dam system faces possible removal, raising urgent questions about wildfire response, farming, and salmon restoration. A quiet Supreme Court decision leaves priorities in water contracts firmly in place, underscoring who gets water during extreme shortages — and who does not.
We also examine President Trump’s veto of legislation tied to the Arkansas Valley Conduit in Colorado — one of the first vetoes of his current term — and the political reaction it sparked over how rural water infrastructure should be financed.
Plus, a plain-language look at aquitards, the overlooked underground layers that influence groundwater quality, land subsidence, and drinking water safety, and a look at improving snowpack conditions tempered by persistent drought across parts of the Colorado River Basin.
Clear, factual, and designed for everyday viewers, this episode explains what changed, who is affected, and what water managers are watching next.
