The Colorado River Is Drying Up While States Bicker
Even after months of heavy snowfall, the river’s critical reservoir Lake Mead is still 40 feet lower than it was five years ago.
The Colorado River’s flow has fallen by 20% since 2000.
Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg
Feisty sports matches need referees to take control early or risk mayhem on the field. In the furious battle over the rights to dwindling Colorado River water — a game with life-or-death stakes — the US government has let things get out of hand. It’s only just now starting to flash yellow cards. It shouldn’t wait too long to make even tougher calls.
After decades of misuse, soaring temperatures and a 23-year drought, the Colorado’s flow has fallen by 20% since 2000. The 40 million people that depend on it, spread across seven US states, tribes and parts of Mexico, must make painful sacrifices now or risk watching this precious resource dwindle even more. The critical reservoir of Lake Mead risks going “dead pool,” the point at which water will stop flowing to farms and cities in the river’s lower basin and the Hoover Dam will stop producing hydroelectric power.