Nation Grapples Over Colorado River

The Colorado River—the monstrous powerhouse supplying over 40 million people with water and irrigating 5.5 million agricultural acres of land—is drying up. Extreme exploitation and a chronic drought have led to the ultimate draining of the river’s finite resources, resulting in an unprecedented tumult in the face of this environmental and national cataclysm. But why is this important? To answer this question, we’re going to delve into all environmental, social, and political sides of this issue. 

The river has brought forth a multitude of environmental concerns, most commonly centered around climate change. The effects of climate change and consequently warming environments have created increasingly hot and dry conditions throughout the western U.S., contributing to the weakening water levels in reservoirs and tributaries. As the Washington Post reports, in 1999, the year before the drought started, Lake Mead and Lake Powell together held 47.6 million acre-feet (about 326,000 gallons) of water—that’s about 92% full. But by early February of 2023, they held a combined 12.9 million acre-feet of water, or about 25% full. Additionally, drier soil from the warming climate is more prone to absorbing natural runoff from snowy peaks and other sources of water before it can reach the river, further lowering water levels. 

Politically, these circumstances have led the Biden administration to propose extreme cuts of water usage along the West in order to ease the declining water supplies and reallocate resources. In an attempt to counter the looming threats of water scarcity and climate change, six out of the seven states bordering the Colorado River have agreed to these cuts, but California—the heaviest user of the river’s resources—has other thoughts. California expressed its concerns regarding the importance of the river’s resources in a recent counterproposal, “making an attempt to ‘uphold the Law of the River’ while making voluntary water use reductions beyond what’s legally necessary,” according to Bloomberg Law. This ongoing conflict between the states has made excruciatingly sluggish progress relative to the urgency of the situation, though further results are yet to be seen. 

The social conflict is dire; the western states hold some of the fastest-growing and most resource-consuming cities, leading to conflicting wants and needs. How can we still supply the 40 million people who rely on this river for their water while also ensuring they can access it in the future? In regions exploding in urbanization and population, access to water is especially important, and the proposed cuts present more fear than comfort. When our water supply is uncertain, the majority of our basic needs—sanitation, healthcare, drinking water, etc.—is also threatened. Public safety and health has become an ongoing concern as the situation is prolonged, which will hopefully be better addressed as proposals and solutions are made.