The Colorado River which provides drinking water, irrigation and electricity for more than 40 million people in the West is the most endangered river in the United States this year . Eventually California water systems hashed out a deal. Its lagging in both the Upper and Lower basins, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects much of the watershed totilt toward hotter and drier weatherfor the rest of the winter. The reservoir is integrating all the problems we have, all the challenges we face show up in that one number, in that one place, he said. It rises in intermittent draws in northeastern Dawson County (at 3241' N, 10144' W), flows generally southeastward for 600 miles across Borden, Scurry, Mitchell, Coke, and Runnels counties, and . The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. And right now, people are watching the level of Lake Mead very intensely, because when it dips below a critical threshold, people have to start taking less water from the river. Its headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains where La Poudre Pass Lake is its source. Thank you for helping us continue making science fun for everyone. The Colorado River is severely threatened by human overuse, environmental issues, and poor river management technique. Rachel has a background in biology, with master's degrees in both immunology and In April, the federal government released options for how the states and tribes could cut their use of the river. Get a daily round-up of news. Less clear, however, was exactly how much of the flow in rivers came from groundwater, a critical source of much of the Wests water supply. Twitter sets this cookie to integrate and share features for social media and also store information about how the user uses the website, for tracking and targeting. The groundwater is composed of rivulets of water hidden below ground some thousands of years old that are particularly important for sustaining a rivers flow after the spring snowmelt has subsided. Colorado River - Water Education Foundation Basin Overview Today, nearly 40 million people in the seven Colorado River Basin StatesArizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyomingrely on the Colorado River and its tributaries for some, if not all, of their municipal needs. LUKE RUNYON: Yeah, and this is a question that has been of intense interest to climate scientists. This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management. But doing so would likely result in lawsuits, and would present permitting and community challenges that could delay it for decades. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial coverage. Nearly all withdrawals were freshwater, but some saline groundwater was used for mining and self-supplied industrial. All Rights Reserved. Give us an idea, if you would, just how low the supply is in the basins reservoirs right now. "Photograph of the Hoover Dam (formerly Boulder Dam) from Across the Colorado River." In the current drought, which started in 2000, far less water than that is coming down the river only about 12 million acre feet a year. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. And its easy to put them off if you get a wet year. It costs about . The Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell and 300 . More surface water was used in the CRB than groundwater, averaging about 78 percent of total withdrawals, and its use increased less than 2 percent from 1985 to 2010, while groundwater withdrawals decreased about 12 percent. To determine how much of the flow in rivers came from groundwater, scientists examined streamflow data at 146 sites in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona, measuring the electrical conductivity of the water. Federal and state officials have committed to a more inclusive process that integrates the needs of tribes, environmental and recreation groups, and Mexico. The Lower Basin fares worse, with 93% of the land area in those categories. One of those being that the Colorado River has not consistently reached the ocean in almost 50 years. Six Companies built bunkhouses that were attached to the canyon wall. The Colorado River ( Spanish: Ro Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. This cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Endangered rivers: Colorado River is most threatened the US, new - CNN There are many intrabasin transfers in the CRB, but this report lists 11 that are mostly in the State of Colorado. A climate-induced reckoning is playing out on the Colorado River. For thermoelectric power, total withdrawals, including the use of reclaimed wastewater, were greater in the upper CRB from 1985 through 2005. Created by Theresaxox Terms in this set (17) The Colorado River one of the major river basins in the southwest States - the westward covers portions of seven states and then crosses into mexico -population in this region is sparce, but with a number of large urban areas that have undergone growth Challenges This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC with financial support from the Walton Family Foundation. In 1922, seven western U.S. states signed an agreement about how they would use the water in the Colorado River. Indigenous tribes were pushed away from the Colorado River. Irrigation accounted for most total withdrawals in the CRB, excluding instream use for hydroelectric power and interbasin transfers, averaging 85 percent from 1985 to 2010. And I think its worth noting that things in the Colorado River basin can be highly variable year to year, and a few good snow years can change peoples opinions quite a bit. Collectively, Colorado and the other upper basin states (Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah) are legally allowed to use 7.5 million acre feet of Colorado River water. Areas of the highway are flooded between Watkins and Bennett. The Colorado River is drying up - Colorado Public Radio Our newsletters bring you a closer look at the stories that affect you and the music that inspires you. Used by Yahoo to provide ads, content or analytics. Nearly all of the tribes water remains in the river and ends up being used by Southern California cities. The drainage basin area of about 246,000 square miles includes all of Arizona, and parts of California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. An Underlooked Reason the Colorado River Is Drying Up - The Atlantic The issue could be ammunition as the budget deadline looms. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), A thick white ring shows the dramatic decline of water levels at Lake Mead on the Colorado River on April 16, 2022. The Colorado River provides water to more than 40 million people across seven southwestern states, 29 tribal nations and Mexico - and a lot of major cities in those states are heavily dependent on . The dam was constructed in response to the Mississippi River flood in 1927. Southern Californias other sources of imported water from the northern half of the state are low, too, after several years of drought. Its a strategy that the Imperial Irrigation District has employed in the past, but its unpopular, Schettler said. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. And now, Metropolitans Hasencamp said, its time to do so again. Far more surface water than groundwater was used forirrigation in both the upper and lower CRB, but in the upper CRB, it accounted for an average of more than 98 percent of the total withdrawals (19852010), whereas in the lower CRB, surface-water withdrawals for irrigation averaged 61 percent of total withdrawals. Colorado River Basin | DNR CWCB In addition to that, tens of millions of people visit this region annually, and tourism has become an increasingly large economic driver for the region. And its split into two watersheds. SiteLock sets this cookie to provide cloud-based website security services. Native American tribes hold rights to this water as well, and a 1944 treaty set aside another 1.5 million acre feet for Mexico. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. It doesnt matter if we get an incredible snowpack, our soils are so depleted right now that thats not going to really translate to water coming down through the river systems, Meyer said. The Chemehuevi Reservation fronts about 30 miles of the Colorado River, yet 97% of the tribe's water remains in the river and ends up being used by Southern California cities. The company was contracted to house the employees. Explain that a little bit for us, Luke, and just how dire the situation is for the groundwater in the region. LinkedIn sets this cookie from LinkedIn share buttons and ad tags to recognize browser ID. Another possibility is fallowing fields paying farmers to leave fields dry. In . This cookie is used for storing country code selected from country selector. Colorado River | Location, History, Map, & Facts | Britannica And as we warm even further, it makes it that much harder for our infrastructure, our water storage, to recover. Its definitely impacted the reservoir system significantly.. Stories like this keep all Californians informed. See How the Colorado River Water Gets Used Up - The New York Times Fidelity to the original aired/published audio or video file might vary, and text might be updated or amended in the future. Arizona and Nevada will face steeper cuts to Colorado River water in 2023 as drought continues to deepen, but California will once again be spared at least for now. The legislation would expand Californias authority to fine water scofflaws who keep pumping. The areas that get water from the Colorado River are also going to have to conserve more, Hasencamp said. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The challenges are really hard, Fleck said. On average, the upper CRB accounted for 56 percent of total irrigated acres, and the irrigation systems in the upper CRB trended towards more efficient sprinkler systems from 1985 to 2010. The agency serving the city of 2.4 million, its suburbs and 40 million annual visitors gets 90% of its water from the river and 10% from groundwater. Because of concerns about health and safety, at-home greywater reuse was illegal in most of the region until the 1990s, when states started changing their rules to make it possible. Even with all the extreme heat, Six Companies completed the Dam and turned it over to the federal government . In Arizona, the river continues west and reaches Lake Mead on the Nevada border, before turning south towards California and Mexico. On average, Miller and his team found that 56 percent of that flow comes from groundwater. LUKE RUNYON: Well, Arizona is in the line for the steepest cuts from the Colorado River. And what does that mean for the users on the river? What to know about Colorado River water in California - CalMatters Water Uses | Colorado Water Knowledge | Colorado State University It barely flows most years, since . They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. Dry soils soak up snow when it melts, keeping it from rivers and reservoirs. But due to overallocation and climate change, the river is drying up. A load balancing cookie set to ensure requests by a client are sent to the same origin server. Drought has been parching the Colorado River basin for more than two decades. It sucks up moisture from forests, backyard gardens and crop fields with greater intensity. Some proposed housing developments, particularly in Arizona and southern Utah, are being held up because of water shortages. The cookie does not store any personally identifiable data. The majestic, meandering Colorado River that cut through these red cliffs, carving the Grand Canyon, is a wonder of nature and human ingenuity. 2023 Colorado Public Radio. For best results viewing and printing PDF documents, it is recommended that you download (The Brazos drainage basin extends into New Mexico.) Thats why collectively, were draining our savings in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, as well as in smaller reservoirs. If its dry there, that means many more problems as the water flows downstream. Well help you get your day started by explaining the issues affecting your California community. Luke, well continue to follow your reporting. Maupin, M.A., Ivahnenko, T., and Bruce, B., 2018, Estimates of water use and trends in the Colorado River Basin, Southwestern United States, 19852010: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 20185049, 61 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185049. 30 Broad Street, Suite 801 2018-5049, Explore recent publications by USGS authors, Browse all of Pubs Warehouse by publication type and year, Descriptions of US Geological Survey Report Series, Estimates of water use and trends in the Colorado River Basin, Southwestern United States, 19852010, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming. No one is sure what happens next. This report contains water-use estimates by category of use for drainage basins (Hydrologic Unit Code 8; HUC8) within the CRB from 1985 to 2010, at 5-year intervals. The Lower Basin states of Arizona and Nevada have begun to see their deliveries from the river curtailed. JOHN DANKOSKY: So obviously, people are preparing for worse times. Copyright 2021 Science Friday Initiative. Cookie used to remember the user's Disqus login credentials across websites that use Disqus. The states and tribes have until May 30th to comment on the options before federal officials announce a decision. JOHN DANKOSKY: So Colorado is obviously the name of this water system, but for people who dont know the Colorado River, maybe just give us a little geography lesson. Colorado River | History to Go These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. This story was reported by Luke Runyon on KUNC. 3, Join CPR at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, News That Matters, Delivered To Your Inbox, a podcast about the Colorado River and some of the brightest and boldest ideas to save it, predicted to be in the range of 10-45 percent less water, seven western U.S. states signed an agreement, the states excluded the voices of tribal nations that live in the upper and lower river basins. The river is 1,450 miles long and originates near Grand Lake, Colorado, in Rocky Mountain National Park. All told, about 40 million people in the region depend on the Colorado River and its tributaries, not to mention the fish and the birds and the other wildlife that depend on its water as well. The dropping water and the reservoirs expanding bathtub rings are also tied to policy. The Colorado River's name is Spanish for the "color red" referring to the river's muddy color, but Colorado was just the final in the long line of labels this iconic river has worn over the years.

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