Legislation to protect endangered and threatened native fish in the Colorado River is heading to President Joe Biden’s desk. Environmentalists are hailing the bipartisan work that made it possible.
Proponents of the bill say it does more than just protect fish.
"It's a win, win-win right now for fish, for river health, agriculture, recreation, birds and their Riverside habitat," said Abby Burk with the National Audubon Society. She’s not surprised that the bill got bipartisan support.
"I feel that the demonstrated success of bringing people together with water projects in support of our connection to the river stands on its own, that when we really get down to the core of it, we all depend upon river health," Burk said.
The bill will help protect four different species of fish – including the humpback chub, which was recently downlisted from endangered to threatened. The farms, cities, and tribes that use the river’s water stand to benefit from a program that boosts fish populations and makes federal penalties for endangered species act violations less likely.
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The largest reservoir in the United States has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was created some 90 years ago. Federal data shows Lake Mead fell Friday to a level just below the prior record-low set in July 2022. -
Federal officials said Thursday they will not release cool water this year from one of the Colorado River's major reservoirs, which would have protected a threatened native fish downstream but put more strain on already struggling hydropower production. -
Tonto National Forest will be closing Canyon Lake later next month so the Bureau of Reclamation and SRP can conduct dam safety inspections and maintenance. -
Board members with the Central Arizona Project challenged an extension of the agency's involvement in a cloud seeding program. -
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is supposed to help people during disasters like floods and fires. But a new report finds the Trump administration diverted FEMA staff at key times to do something very different — help ICE in immigration enforcement.
