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Colorado River states bought time with a 3-year water conservation deal – now they need to think bigger – Robert Glennon

The Conversation
May 26, 2023

What the Colorado River water use agreement will mean for western statesArizona, California and Nevada have narrowly averted a regional water crisis by agreeing to reduce their use of Colorado River water over the next three years. This deal represents a temporary solution to a long-term crisis. Nonetheless, as a close observer of western water policy, I see… Read more »

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Featured articles from Robert Glennon

Evaporated Water

Smart Water Magazine

“This is a case about evaporated water.” Thus began U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion for the Court in Texas v. New Mexico, decided on December 14, 2020. Wait a minute!  The Supreme Court is a very busy Court with complicated, serious legal problems to resolve, yet they heard one about something that no longer exists?

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John Wesley Powell, Great Explorer of the American West

Scientific American
June 26, 2019

Just over 150 years ago, on May 24, 1869, John Wesley Powell set off from Green River in the Wyoming Territory, into the “great unknown,” the first known descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

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Three Authors See Water, Water Everywhere, for Better and Worse

NY Times
March 30, 2018

The most pernicious consequence of global warming is the rise of sea levels, which threatens cities around the world and has already triggered what may become the largest mass migration in human history.

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Wading Into Colorado River Negotiations

Arizona Public Media
January 24, 2019
The Arizona Legislature has until Jan. 31 to approve a drought contingency plan for the Colorado River. A working group has spent months trying to come up with a plan that satisfies cities, farmers and Native Americans with a stake in the future of the Colorado River.  Read more

2 not-so-smart things Arizona has done in the name of water

Arizona Republic
April 18, 2018
Gov. Doug Ducey proclaimed in 2016: “If there’s one thing Arizona is best in the nation at, it’s water.” The governor has good reason to boast about his state’s surprisingly robust record in innovative water policy. Yet the state has stumbled in proposing seawater desalination as a way to obtain additional potable water and failed by allowing our rivers to suffer horrible degradation.  Read more

6 innovative water policies that helped Arizona grow during a drought

Arizona Republic
April 10, 2018
One seldom sees the words “Arizona” and “progressive” in the same sentence. But when it comes to water, Arizona has often been at the cutting edge of legal and policy reform. An arid climate, surging population and declining groundwater tables drove Arizona to be creative.  Read more

Challenges to Nestle’s Bottled Water Strategy

Huffington Post
September 21, 2017
The exploding craft beer movement is taking on the challenges of a water-constrained world and improving conservation and efficiency in production. Some are even experimenting with using recycled water in their brews.  Read more

The Era of Water Reallocation

Bayer
April 21, 2017
The demand for water for municipal, industrial and agricultural use is a bit like the game of Musical Chairs. There isn’t enough to go around without building costly and environmentally destructive dams, diminishing flows in rivers and streams or unsustainably pumping groundwater.  Read more