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The Water in the Desert conference, hosted by Sul Ross State University, featured discussion of regional water data gaps, relevant water policy developments at the Texas Legislature, Chihuahuan Desert hydrology, groundwater management needs, stewardship practices, and promising water-enhancing projects in the region.

In the 1970s, industrial-scale agriculture transformed the world's ability to feed hungry populations. As climate change threatens yields, and the environmental cost of intensive, large scale farming becomes apparent, meet the farmers are re-envisioning a new green revolution. 

Deepening patterns of water scarcity and excess pose a growing threat to agriculture across much of the United States according to a new report from the Environmental Defense Fund.

Water has finally reached the highest levels of global climate negotiations. The path to a sustainable freshwater future, however, lies with ground-level users. At COP 28, EDF is elevating their voices, their needs and the approaches they find most useful. _______ While greenhouse gases drive climate change, many of its impacts are inherently liquid. Whether …

As discussions at COP28 wrestle with climate impacts on global food and water security, we hear from a Hopi farmer on his thriving practice of dry farming and his hopes for shared learning in Dubai. ______ The arid climate of the Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona receives a mere 8.5 inches of annual rainfall. For …

Water has finally reached the highest levels of global climate negotiations. The path to a sustainable freshwater future, however, lies with ground-level users. At COP 28, EDF is elevating their voices, their needs and the approaches they find most useful. _______ While greenhouse gases drive climate change, many of its impacts are inherently liquid. Whether …

One of the largest rivers in the world struggles to reach the ocean. Spread across a huge slice of a continent, its basin supports millions. Yet the weight of its work to irrigate and power booming farms and cities in an increasingly arid zone is straining the river to a breaking point. For many working …

In Presidio County, running water is a luxury that some residents do not enjoy. Families in Las Pampas, a Colonia near the Mexican border, must truck water from the City of Presidio to their homes north of town, spending money and time to secure what many Texans take for granted – running water and the …

Texas voters will have a chance to weigh in on securing safe, clean, and accessible drinking water for communities statewide. Proposition 6 would amend the state constitution to create the Texas Water Fund and provide $1 billion dollars to address aging water infrastructure and gaps in access to clean drinking water.

As Hispanic Heritage Month ends, we celebrate our Hispanic Water Leadership Institute alumni making a difference in their communities. Nearly 20% of the United States identifies as Hispanic. The largest minority group in the country is also the largest group disproportionately impacted by contaminated groundwater. This is due to a lack of resources and widespread …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals and Katelyn Roedner Sutter, State Director, California What Happened? On October 10, 2023, California Assembly Bill 899, authored by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi, became law. It requires manufacturers of baby food (other than infant formula) who wish to sell their products in California to: Test a representative sample of …

Groundwater professionals have long united around the desire to “make the invisible visible.” It’s a slogan that finds its way into most conversations, publications, and speeches on the global groundwater crisis. Last year’s United Nations World Water Development Report focused entirely on groundwater. It’s chosen title? Groundwater, making the invisible visible. One could be forgiven …

A new study shows the Texas Hill Country’s mounting water challenges are present in low-income communities and communities of color. Commissioned by the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network, the study includes a water ‘equityscape’ that indicates areas of flood risk, aquifer decline, drinking water violations, and water affordability concerns overlap with low-income and historically underrepresented communities.

The Biden administration today issued a proclamation establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The new monument protects nearly one million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.

With water in short supply, resilience is a way of life for communities on the Texas-Mexico border.

With water in short supply, resilience is a way of life for communities on the Texas-Mexico border.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Below the Blue, and Clean Water Action submitted a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan today, calling on the agency to investigate the uncontrolled release of lead into water or surface soil by more than 2,000 lead-sheathed telecom cables across the nation.

Oregon’s 2023 legislative session concluded with a wide-ranging drought package passing through the House and the Senate, enabling key investments necessary to building a water-secure future for Oregon’s communities and ecosystems.   The investments come at a critical moment as climate change is impacting water resources throughout Oregon. The vast majority of the state remains …

Last week Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) released a new analysis of groundwater in the Phoenix metro area. News broke around the country with headlines questioning the viability of future development in the region. But, what does this new analysis actually mean for Arizona? Let’s dive in.  What does this …

Alan Salazar is a perfect choice for interim CEO at Denver Water,, given his long and impressive history serving in senior leadership positions at the local, state and federal levels — making Colorado better. Denver Water has been a leader in protecting public health and the environment under the leadership of Jim Lochhead and we congratulate Jim on his retirement. The agency’s Lead Reduction Program is a national model, which takes an innovative and proactive approach to replacing all lead service lines at no cost to homeowners. In addition, they are leaders in conserving water in the arid and climate-change impacted West and play a key role in the health of the Colorado River and its tributaries.

Last week Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) released a new analysis of groundwater in the Phoenix metro area. News broke around the country with headlines questioning the viability of future development in the region. But, what does this new analysis actually mean for Arizona? Let’s dive in.  What does this …

A new website from EDF, American Rivers, and Four Corners Mapping provides a special look at the Grand Canyon through an educational, interactive journey. The interactive tool invites people to take a tour through the Grand Canyon and learn how the complexities of the Colorado River crisis impact the Grand Canyon and its surrounding communities …

This blog is co-authored by Rachel O’Connor, Manager, Climate Resilient Water Systems. As Arizona’s water crisis worsens due to extreme drought and overuse, more attention than ever is being directed toward addressing this critical issue. At the federal level, an influx of funding has become available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

This blog is co-authored by Sue Ruiz (Education Manager, Self-Help Enterprises), Chris Freimund (Director of Development, Watershed Progressive), and Laura Dubin, Rural Community Assistance Corporation During a rainy Saturday in Visalia, graduates from the Water Leadership Institute (WLI) gathered for an alumni reunion. It only seemed fitting that alumni congregated to discuss solutions to water …

Most of California’s Central Valley is dedicated to productive and diverse farmland, helping make California the country’s fruit, nut, and vegetable basket. However, due in part to increasingly intense and variable climate conditions, we must manage agricultural landscapes to ensure productivity and reliance for future generations.  The 2,100-acre Dos Rios Ranch Preserve near Modesto is …