WESTERN WATER

The authors of a new memo say that states need to take shared water cutbacks to manage the Colorado River going forward.

Some experts say the System Conservation Pilot Program — or SCPP — is costly and may not be the most effective way to save Colorado River water.

Federal water managers recently discovered damage to plumbing inside the dam that holds back Lake Powell. Conservation groups are worried the damage at Glen Canyon Dam could lead to bigger issues for the Colorado River.

A popular hiking trail in Joshua Tree National Park in California has been temporarily closed so bighorn sheep get undisturbed access to water as extreme drought conditions persist.

U.S. hydropower generation is forecast to drop 14% this year compared with 2020 as drought grips vast areas of the West. Experts say the reductions…