But the stop-gap measure, now before Congress, includes a provision that some regard as a major step backward

For the 40 million people who depend on water from the Colorado River Basin, including me, there’s no escaping this stark reality: Our thirst for water exceeds what’s actually available.

That’s mostly because rising temperatures are sapping moisture from the environment even as demand for water resources in the region is going up.

The result: a run on the banks — lakes Mead