The Colorado River (CR) is the most critical water system in the United States, providing drinking water to over 40 million people and sustaining some of the largest economies in the country. Due to decades of drought, including 3 exceptional droughts, water flows in the 21st century have been 19% below the 20th century average. The 7 US states, Native Americans, and Mexico are at risk for a major water crisis within this century. Many groups, including multiple levels of government and private organizations, are working together to help solve this problem. However, new policy implementation has been slow, and current short-term solutions have not been sustainable. Solving this problem before conditions worsen could avoid a major disaster in nearly a quarter of the US in the future.
<aside> ‼️ The Colorado River, which serves as the primary water source to 7 US states, 2 MX states, and 30 Native American tribes, is reaching record low water levels, with water flows expected to decrease around 20% in the next 3 decades, and 35% by the end of the century, due to decreased runoff, poor water policy, and outdated water infrastructure.
The CR drought already affects and will affect virtually all farmers, civilians, wildlife, and habitats in SW America.
It's important to remember that the marsh, swamp, desert, and forest landscapes of the SW US are home to an immensely diverse set of organisms. These life forms are already starting to suffer due to water shortages, and their state will only worsen if conditions do not change. The following are examples of how life forms can suffer as a result of decreasing water levels and increasing temperatures:
About 80% of the CR water is used to irrigate ~4 million acres of farmland. Hence, the common approach to the water shortage so far has been cutting water allocations to agricultural irrigation and transferring it to meet the needs of the growing urban population in the SW US. This is despite the fact that the SW US provides about 15% of America's crop output and 13% of its livestock production, making it a significant contributor to rural economies with environmental benefits.
Arizona and Nevada have already had water cuts, and Southern California will likely have cuts within the next 5 years (if conditions do not improve). This year, Arizona declared a shortage and reduced the supply of CR water to farmers by about 20%, or 512k acre-ft (for reference, 1 acre-ft is about 325 gallons, which is enough water for 2-3 households annually). Farmers have had to resort to switching to less water intensive crops, growing fewer crops/raising less livestock, or selling livestock. In Nevada, there was a cut from Southern Nevada's annual water allocation of 300k acre-ft from Lake Mead (about 90% of the community's supply).
Native Americans are to suffer first due to the drought, but for a different reason. In the Colorado River Compact of 1921, where the 7 states of the CR basin allocated water among themselves, Native American populations were not included. Up to this day, Native Americans have not received nearly enough infrastructure to have clean, running water. They must retrieve their water straight from the river. Thus, as river flow continues to decrease and tributaries evaporate, Native Americans will no longer have access to their only source of water.
People of the Navajo Nation must collect water for hours each day, and store them in trucks due to their lack of inclusion in water allocation bills. | azcentral.com
All life forms rely on water. Hence, if conditions do not improve, at some point, every organism in the SW US will feel the effects of the CR drought. It is difficult to measure the extent of this negative impact (due to lack of research), but the following can be assumed if conditions do not improve: