![]() What used to be a broad delta that saw waves of migrating birds enjoying its rich ecosystem is now a salty desert. Once you get to the mouth of the river in the Gulf of California, there’s little trace of the once mighty waterway. ‘Each state has their own peculiar set of politics.’ ‘You can’t possibly overestimate how hard this is,’ said Felicia Marcus, a fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West programme and former chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board. In 2021, the family had to sell 100 of their cows early because their own hayfields only produced about 60 per cent of their needs due to drought Raising cattle has become expensive due to the lack of water. Dean VanWinkle, a fifth-generation farmer, catches newborn calves to be tagged and vaccinated on the family’s mountain ranch. Currently, the states are trying to negotiate an agreed share of the river’s diminishing waters. This is due to come to a head soon because of a more recent agreement that stated that California would have to start reducing its take from the river if the water level in Lake Mead drops below 318.45 metres (1,045 feet), which it’s expected to do this month. However, California and Arizona have consistently taken more than their agreed share. The upper basin is controlled by a system of state and local dams, while two federal dams manage water to the lower basin: the Hoover Dam outside of Las Vegas and the Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona–Utah border. Under a 1922 compact, the Colorado River US states were divided into an upper and a lower basin, each getting the right to roughly half of the river’s water. However, the amount of water diverted for agricultural use in California and Arizona is causing the most controversy. ![]() The water diversion to large conurbations such as Phoenix and Las Vegas has significantly lowered the river’s water levels and altered its course. Since the launch of the enforcement agency, some 16,000 infringements have been logged, 2,000 of which led to fines totalling half a million US dollars. Repeat offenders can expect a hefty fine. As of 2026, there will be a ban on the planting of natural lawn in the city and even today, there are tight restrictions on when and how much gardens and lawns can be watered. In Las Vegas, there’s growing awareness of just how serious the lack of water has become. The booming desert resort is also dependent on water from Lake Mead – its 2.2 million population consumes more than double the average US per capita amount. That was brought onstream just in time to avoid blackouts in Las Vegas. Luckily, the water management company had installed a deeper pump In the spring of 2022, levels hit another record low, exposing one of the water pumps. On the left of the image you can clearly see the line marking the level that the Colorado River used to reach Horseshoe Bend is a 270° entrenched meander located eight kilometres downstream of Lake Powell near the town of Page in Arizona. It has lost two-thirds of its volume and in a few years, water levels will be too low to drive the dam’s turbines to produce electricity. Looking across the reservoir from Las Vegas, one can see the high water mark at a milky-white line along its shores. The Hoover Dam opened in 1935 and formed Lake Mead, now a shadow of its former self. The 450-kilometre segment that passes through the Grand Canyon is bracketed by the two largest storage impoundments in the USA – Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The falling water levels are clearly visible on the upper reaches of the river. Climate change and an ever-growing demand for its precious water mean the NGO American Rivers now lists it as the most endangered major river in the USA. Today, it rarely reaches the ocean in the Gulf of California – the last time it did was in 1983. However, the mighty Colorado River is drying up. An economy worth US$1.4 trillion is dependent on its supply of water and the trade in boating, fishing, hiking and myriad other recreational activities alone is worth US$26 billion. With its tributaries, it’s the source of water for more than 40 million people. Its watershed spans eight per cent of continental America. It’s the sixth longest river in the USA and flows through seven US states and two Mexican states. The Colorado River snakes its way across the western USA for more than 2,000 kilometres – from the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, down through stunning canyons, across deserts and over the border into Mexico. In April last year, it dropped to 22.88 per cent of its water capacity, the lowest level since it was formed by damming the Colorado River in 1963 The Colorado River is running out of water, and it’s now listed as the most endangered major river in the USA Lake Powell is the second largest reservoir in the USA.
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