A pilot program shows the potential for water leasing programs to make meaningful water savings in the Colorado River Basin.

Challenger Scott Mershon wants the district to increase transparency and take a larger role in protecting the Great Salt Lake.

A scientist said the city’s protections were already less than the least it could do.

That number goes as high as two-thirds for some regions. Climate change is also making heatwaves more frequent and intense, compounding on the problem.

In other news, a new Box Elder County wildfire has burned 4,500 acres so far. And, private land near Zion National Park is being protected from development through a conservation easement.

Half a dozen companies have applied to mine Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments since July. Environmentalists called it a harbinger for further exploitation.

The proposal would flip current motorized use rules on their head, allowing access unless designated otherwise. Recreationists called the change overdue, but conservationists fear a free-for-all.

Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming are not subject to mandatory reductions under the new Colorado River rules. Instead, those states are setting up programs to voluntarily conserve water.

In certain conditions, some materials don’t need any ignition source to light ablaze.

Under new regulations finalized last week, Nevada's share will be cut by over 70%. California and Arizona also face mandatory cuts that Upper Basin states like Utah avoided.