Alex Hager

Funeral directors in 15 states can now offer "water cremation," in which bodies are dissolved in a chemical solution. Some see it as more eco-friendly and less traumatic than consumption by flame.

The Bureau of Reclamation is responding to a state request and suspending ramped up releases from a major reservoir along the Colorado River.

Senators from the seven states that use water from the Colorado River are convening to discuss its future. Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper created the group as climate change and steady demand are shrinking supplies.

Lake Powell is shrinking as climate change and steady demand cause trouble for states that rely on the Colorado River. The Bureau of Reclamation is scrambling to keep hydropower generators running in Glen Canyon Dam.

Six of the seven states that use water from the Colorado River proposed a way for the federal government to cut back on water use and protect dropping water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

The seven states that share the Colorado River are moving forward in the face of cutbacks announced Tuesday.

The seven states that share the Colorado River face a Tuesday deadline to agree to voluntary water cutbacks, or have federal cuts imposed. Six states have agreed to a plan, but California did not.

The seven states that share the Colorado River have until Tuesday to agree to voluntary water cutbacks, or have federal cuts imposed on them.

Heavy rain and snow could provide a boost to the Colorado River, where the nation's largest reservoirs are shrinking due to 23 years of drought and steady demand. But climate scientists warn that it will take more than one wet winter to end the drought.

Rain in California and deep snow in the Rocky Mountains have brought temporary relief to drought-stricken states in the West. But water managers say the long-term water supply picture remains bleak.