Over the last decade, Phoenix has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, offering hundreds of thousands of new arrivals a relatively low cost of living and an influx of new tech jobs. As the population has boomed, developers have cashed in, rapidly pushing Phoenix’s notorious urban sprawl further into the desert. It’s here — on the periphery of the Phoenix metro area — that state regulators have started cracking down on this development explosion. With regional water shortages only worsening under a historic megadrought, the local groundwater supply is even more precious and can no longer sustain the city’s planned development, officials say. … (A)bout one third of water usage across the Phoenix metro area (comes from groundwater). The other two thirds come from the Colorado River and local bodies of water, like the Salt River.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

• CalMatters: Opinion: Colorado River poses another California water conflict that Trump will affect
• KUNC (Greenley, Colo.): As Colorado ramps up PFAS drinking water tests, small towns brace for costly fixes​
• Mohave Valley Daily News (Bullhead City, Ariz.): Progress on new Colorado River Basin operational guidelines may stall until federal agencies stabilize
• OutThere Colorado (Denver): Invasive species that can cause ‘ecosystem collapse’ addressed by Colorado officials
• FOX45 (Salt Lake City, Utah): Cloud seeding expansion favored by Utah leaders
• Audubon magazine: Colorado’s Stream & Wetlands Protection Bill becomes a law