The Colorado River supplies water to the heavily populated West. But how much longer? The government wants to prevent a drought — and deplete the water supplies of California, Arizona and Nevada.
New York/Washington, DC The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people. It rises in the Rocky Mountains before passing through the Grand Canyon toward Mexico. It flows through the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California – and then some into Mexico, Baja California and Sonora. A classic lifeline is running out of juice. The Colorado River has been carrying less and less water over the years.
This is due to the prolonged drought in the western United States. It has now lasted for 23 years. and high water consumption. Since the 1960s, the Colorado River has rarely reached its true destination, the Gulf of California. Since then, the last 160 kilometers of the river have always been dry.
Decades of controversy
Water from the Colorado River has been a matter of debate for decades. The American West relies on flow. And not just for “just” water. The river also generates electricity with hydroelectric dams—and it irrigates vast farmlands where vegetables are grown in other parts of the United States. Who owns the river water? Or, to put it another way, how can you save what’s left of the Colorado River?
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