Lake Powell is at about 27% of its normal capacity now. And there's been a similar collapse at Lake Powell. And so it's been crashing more than almost 200 feet in the last 20 years. Photopress journal of the west full#Jim Carlton: Lake Mead was pretty much full in the year 2000. But right now these reservoirs have less water than ever. The two biggest are Lake Mead in Nevada and Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona. Ryan Knutson: To get this water, cities along the river pull it from big reservoirs that are fed by the Colorado. Of course, Southern California wouldn't be what it is without the Colorado River. Vegas has gained almost a million people in the last 20 years alone, Las Vegas Metro area. You see Phoenix, Vegas, two of the fastest growing metropolis in America. Jim Carlton: So over the last say, 50 years, we've had this explosion in population in the American Southwest. It also supplies the drinking water for tens of millions of people who live in the region. Ryan Knutson: And it's not just electricity and agriculture. The whole Yuma Valley farm belt is the nation's headquarters for winter vegetable production, that and neighboring Imperial Valley, California. There's hydroelectric power, there's recreation, there's water for growth. Jim Carlton: The seven states are Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. There are seven states in the Southwest that rely on the Colorado River. It's Tuesday, August 23rd.Ĭoming up on the show, what the disappearing Colorado River means for the American West. Ryan Knutson: Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. In fact, what's that saying? You know that in the West, that whiskey's for drinking, water's for fighting. Ryan Knutson: Have the states generally gotten along? Has it been easy for them to share water? And that's what everybody's trying to figure out right now. And with that, there's a very large economy kind of at risk. Jim Carlton: The Colorado River is on the verge of collapse. Those states all have to share the river's water and the drought is making that a lot more difficult. Ryan Knutson: There are seven states and tens of millions of people that rely on the Colorado River for drinking water, agriculture, and basically their entire existence. Photopress journal of the west movie#It's just like kind of out of a Clint Eastwood movie or something. And it's so dry you can see little dust devils, and a boat covered in dried up caked mud, and a coyote out in the distance. Due to largely climate change it's in the worst drought in at least 1200 years. Jim Carlton: The Colorado River is in crisis. Ryan Knutson: Right now in the American West, there's an epic drought and it's causing the Colorado River to dry up. There's some of the most spectacular scenery in America, red rock canyons, there's Native American reservations. And my job is to cover really the American West. Jim Carlton: I've spent tons of time on the Colorado River. Ryan Knutson: That's our colleague, Jim Carlton. Along the way it created the Grand Canyon. It starts in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and goes down 1,450 miles to the Gulf of California. Jim Carlton: The Colorado River, it is really the lifeblood of the American Southwest. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated. This transcript was prepared by a transcription service.
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