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In Drying Colorado River Basin, Indian Tribes Are Water Dealmakers

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Native Americans hold 20 percent of the basin's water rights. How they use their water will shape the future of the Southwest.

Gila River Diversion in New Mexico Pits New West vs Old

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Debate demonstrates the power of water in the drying American West.
Shiprock, New Mexico: The Navajo Nation — which spans a 70,000-square-kilometer stretch of mesa, sand, and canyons in parts of New Mexico, Utah, and northern Arizona — is the largest and, arguably, the driest American Indian reservation in the United States.

Racing an Arizona Senator’s Retirement, Dry Navajo Nation Draws Closer to Securing More Water

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The largest reservation in the U.S. has one of the nation's highest poverty rates — more than 40 percent — and very little water infrastructure. Many residents pay nearly 50 times the municipal cost for water, which instead is delivered from a tank in the back of a truck, often resulting in water-borne intestinal illnesses.
Map Weather Extremes Floods Droughts Tornados

Weather Extremes: Floods, Droughts, Tornadoes, and Extreme Heat Plague Much of U.S.

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Extreme weather events in 2011 have been numerous and diverse, prompting some analysts to link the natural disasters to climate change. Most recently, many states are under exceptional-drought and extreme-heat advisories.

Arizona’s Gamble — Conserve Water Now, Prevent Deeper Cuts Tomorrow

For years, the state took as much water as it could from Lake Mead; now it plans to leave some in the reservoir.

Deadly La Niña Goes Global—Part I: For Western Hemisphere, Record Rains in Latin America

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Hundreds have died in Colombian floods, as cooler sea temperatures affect regions around the Pacific; climate change seen as a possible cause.