News in Brief Trump Just Signed a New Plan for the Colorado River. There’s Already a Lawsuit to Halt It. The Imperial Irrigation District in California has sued to halt the plan, arguing that it wrongly ignores the Salton Sea. Leah Dunlevy
Environment How Does Water Scarcity Affect Mental Health? Studies have found that people who lack access to water often suffer from emotional distress. Emily Moon
Environment Could Leasing Water Rights Provide a Way Out of the Drought for California? The state’s cities need water. Its farmers have it. Maybe leasing rights to it could solve the crisis responsibly. Abrahm Lustgarten
Environment What You Need to Know About the Drought in California—and How It’s Affecting You It's part of a much bigger water crisis in the West. Abrahm Lustgarten, Amanda Zamora & Lauren Kirchner
Environment Use It or Lose It: Across the West, Exercising One’s Right to Waste Water “Use it or lose it” clauses give farmers, ranchers, and governments holding water rights a powerful incentive to use more water than they need. Abrahm Lustgarten
Environment The Risky Business of Slicing the Pie Conservationists find themselves at the back of line in divvying up water from one of the world's most litigated rivers. Ben Preston