Hot weather and almost no rainfall worsened drought conditions across much of the Colorado River Basin this week.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a proposed list of inactive western water projects that could lose federal authorization after years without funding.

Utah declared a statewide drought emergency on May 21, 2026, after record warmth and poor snowpack left rivers, farms, and reservoirs under growing stress.

A California startup backed by Nobel Prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi is developing large machines that harvest water directly from the atmosphere for drought regions and data centers.

Hoover Dam will receive $52 million in upgrades, including new turbines built to operate during lower Lake Mead conditions.

Western Colorado water users will see drought pricing return for the first time in nearly 50 years as dry conditions worsen.