Luke Runyon

The law that divides the Colorado River between seven states is turning 100, and it's being strained beyond what its drafters could have imagined.

Hundreds of visitors to the Grand Canyon over the summer were sickened by a norovirus, which prompted the CDC to take a look at it. (Story aired on Weekend Edition Saturday on Sept. 24, 2022.)

The Grand Canyon is home to incredible natural beauty. And this summer, a norovirus outbreak. The stomach bug sickened hundreds of rafters and hikers ... and prompted the CDC to take a look at it.

The river guide's videos offer short explanations for the water woes in the West, garnering her more than 48,000 followers since she started in April.

Understanding drought in the West is hard. A Colorado woman is explaining the problem to a new generation of water users to debunk misinformation that can easily spread during a crisis.

With drought conditions lowering water levels, some local leaders are calling on the federal government to take charge. The seven states rely on the Colorado River for agriculture and electricity.

Last week, a deadline passed for the seven states that use the Colorado River to get the federal government a regional conservation plan. Some are criticizing the feds lack of enforcement action.

New federal forecasts show the nation's two largest reservoirs on the river are expected to continue their rapid decline — putting the water supply for 40 million people in the southwest in jeopardy.

Two of America's biggest hydroelectric generators, Hoover and Glenn Canyon dams, are in danger of reducing output due to historically low water levels.

The government is expected to issue its first water shortage declaration for the river, which supplies more than 40 million people. That will mean hardships for farms, recreation and Indian tribes.

Deepening drought is raising fears of another bad year for wildfires. It's also expected to trigger more water cutbacks in a number of states.

This summer's record-breaking wildfires have reduced some forests to burnt trees and heaps of ash. In towns, the ash could clog pipes and cause problems with drinking water systems for years.

Meatpacking plants are hotspots for the coronavirus, with workers elbow-to-elbow as animals are processed on a conveyor belt. So, how can these factories be adapted to keep workers healthy?

The president invoked the Defense Production Act after more than a dozen beef, pork and poultry plants across the country shut down either temporarily or indefinitely in the past few weeks.

President Trump says he'll invoke the Defense Protection Act to keep meatpacking plants open. OSHA issued new worker safety guidelines, but some labor representatives say they don't go far enough.

Hundreds of meatpacking plant workers — many immigrants — have fallen ill from the coronavirus and plants are shuttering.

As coal power plants close, the water they used will be freed up for other purposes. It can make a huge difference in the arid West. Who'll reap the potential windfalls of both water and money?

"Water is the oil of the 21st century. People don't quite understand how difficult it is to run a water system so you have clean drinking water," the town administrator said.

A Colorado trail runner was attacked by a mountain lion earlier this month. Travis Kauffman managed to defend himself by killing the juvenile lion with his bare hands.

After years of sustained drought, water managers along the Colorado River system are renegotiating water cutbacks to seven Western states, hoping to avoid more drastic shortages in the future.