The US Bureau of Reclamation’s newest study predicts Lake Powell could by December fall to 3,490 feet, the minimum level for Glen Canyon Dam to produce power. By March 2027, Powell could drop to the lowest level on record, possibly limiting the dam’s ability to release water.
Interior Secretary Burgum says the federal government will impose its own plan on how to manage the Colorado River in the coming decades as the seven western states that rely on the river missed a deadline to come to a new water sharing agreement. Burgum says the plan would include a fair compromise with shared responsibility over considerable water-use cuts that’ll be necessary as the river basin becomes more arid.
President Donald Trump has nominated longtime hospitality executive Scott Socha to lead the National Park Service. Socha is president of parks and resorts for Delaware North, a concessionaire that sued the park service to claim the trademark rights to the name Yosemite National Park and other federal place names.
A homebuilding company has been sued over claims it misused more than 20 million dollars in federal funds intended for Navajo Nation housing. The Navajo Times reports, ZenniHome failed to deliver any of the 160 modular homes it was contracted to build, while only partially completing 18 homes now abandoned at the company’s facility near Page.
Indian Health Service will phase out the use of dental amalgams by 2027. The American Dental Association says evidence doesn’t link mercury exposure via dental fillings to long-term negative health impacts. But advocates say IHS patients shouldn’t receive treatment that’s considered antiquated in the private sector.
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