The Colorado River Runs Dry
Dams, irrigation and now climate change have drastically reduced the once-mighty river. Is it a sign of things to come?
- By Sarah Zielinski
- Photographs by Peter McBride
- Smithsonian magazine, October 2010, Subscribe
From its source high in the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River channels water south nearly 1,500 miles, over falls, through deserts and canyons, to the lush wetlands of a vast delta in Mexico and into the Gulf of California.
That is, it did so for six million years.
Then, beginning in the 1920s, Western states began divvying up the Colorado’s water, building dams and diverting the flow hundreds of miles, to Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and other fast-growing cities. The river now serves 30 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico, with 70 percent or more of its water siphoned off to irrigate 3.5 million acres of cropland.
The damming and diverting of the Colorado, the nation’s seventh-longest river, may be seen by some as a triumph of engineering and by others as a crime against nature, but there are ominous new twists. The river has been running especially low for the past decade, as drought has gripped the Southwest. It still tumbles through the Grand Canyon, much to the delight of rafters and other visitors. And boaters still roar across Nevada and Arizona’s Lake Mead, 110 miles long and formed by the Hoover Dam. But at the lake’s edge they can see lines in the rock walls, distinct as bathtub rings, showing the water level far lower than it once was—some 130 feet lower, as it happens, since 2000. Water resource officials say some of the reservoirs fed by the river will never be full again.
Climate change will likely decrease the river’s flow by 5 to 20 percent in the next 40 years, says geoscientist Brad Udall, director of the University of Colorado Western Water Assessment. Less precipitation in the Rocky Mountains will yield less water to begin with. Droughts will last longer. Higher overall air temperatures will mean more water lost to evaporation. “You’re going to see earlier runoff and lower flows later in the year,” so water will be more scarce during the growing season, says Udall.
Other regions—the Mediterranean, southern Africa, parts of South America and Asia—also face fresh-water shortages, perhaps outright crises. In the Andes Mountains of South America, glaciers are melting so quickly that millions of people in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador are expected to lose a major source of fresh water by 2020. In southwestern Australia, which is in the midst of its worst drought in 750 years, fresh water is so scarce the city of Perth is building plants to remove the salt from seawater. More than one billion people around the world now live in water-stressed regions, according to the World Health Organization, a number that is expected to double by 2050, when an estimated nine billion people will inhabit the planet.
“There’s not enough fresh water to handle nine billion people at current consumption levels,” says Patricia Mulroy, a board member of the Colorado-based Water Research Foundation, which promotes the development of safe, affordable drinking water worldwide. People need a “fundamental, cultural attitude change about water supply in the Southwest,” she adds. “It’s not abundant, it’s not reliable, it’s not going to always be there.”
Mulroy is also general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which serves two million people in greater Las Vegas. The city is one of the largest in the Colorado River basin, but its share of the river is relatively small; when officials allocated the Colorado’s water to different states in 1922, no one expected so many people to be living in the Nevada desert. So Nevadans have gotten used to coping with limitations. They can’t water their yards or wash their cars whenever they like; communities follow strict watering schedules. The water authority pays homeowners to replace water-gulping lawns with rocks and drought-tolerant plants. Golf courses adhere to water restrictions. Almost all wastewater is reused or returned to the Colorado River.
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Comments (41)
Those who think Global Warming (climate change) is real and not a hoax perpetuated to scare people, contribute to the decline of this country today. There is ZERO conclusive evidence that such a phenomenon exists. The earth ORBIT's around the Sun in a period of 365 days and rotates one time in a 24 hour period. This is why there are SEASONS and is drastically different all over the Earth. The river is collapsing because HUMAN's think they can defy nature. They wanted water in a place there was none, so built dams to divert the rivers natural path. And then those same humans cry when homes and land are flooded, or when the river dries up! The government, via regulations of the EPA, stands to make a lot of money from corporations if they can get the public to believe the myths of global warming. Open a science book (pre-dated 1980) and see how things actually work. Stop believing the government or "so-called" scientists who massage the data, to help justify the Grant money.
Posted by Arthur on February 7,2013 | 01:12 PM
this was helpful but I wish there were more positives about the river, beacuse I have to preform a debate about water conservation and hydroelctric power, and I have to argue from both sides... not just the negative side!
Posted by Megan on January 30,2013 | 05:32 PM
this helped me alot for my science project, but i wish there were more on the colorado river and less about people's opion... more cold hard facts!
Posted by Hi on January 30,2013 | 05:30 PM
This paragraph about the colorado river was pretty helpful but I'm doing a science project and had a hard time finding some positives for the river. I found 2 but unfortunetly they were already in my list. I tried to find 1 more but couldn't. I would appriciate it if you could make it a little bit easier to find the positives and negatives of the colorado river in the paragraph. Thank you for taking the time to rad my comment and hopefuly take a little bit of my advice! - Lizzy
Posted by lizzy on December 16,2012 | 09:00 PM
i liked these paragraphs about the colorado river but i'm doing a science project and i need to know positive facts about the river. i found two but unfortunately, i already had them in my list. All im saying is that some people like me that have to find positives and negatives in the pargraphs can find them easily. thank youy for taking the time to read this comment. _ lizzy
Posted by lizzy on December 16,2012 | 08:54 PM
The Colorado, which runs through predominantly federal land, dries up before it reaches the sea. Eastern rivers continue to run their entire course, excepting for the occasional drought, in spite of federal regulations. The difference? I believe it is the management of private lands compared to the lack of management of federal lands. It's conservation compared to preservation. It's people living where resources are instead of piping limited resources where they were never naturally intended to go. If the federal government were deeded the Sahara Desert, there would be a shortage of sand in 6 months.
Posted by Big Ed on October 3,2012 | 11:45 PM
nice
Posted by blakeley on September 9,2012 | 05:28 AM
This is very helpful for my students.Thank You!
Posted by PGM on September 5,2012 | 05:29 PM
Iam shocked of what's happening to are water resource it's really scary I wish there where laws of how we use are water and everybody should be able to get a certain amount and go desert rock and stop all the grass in homes to save are water there are now different ways to put artificial grass I feel every body should do that the people that like it so much it would save a lot of are water for future years to come Raul zendejas I live in casa grande Arizona
Posted by Raul zendejas on August 20,2012 | 01:40 AM
Maybe
Posted by on May 30,2012 | 07:33 PM
it looks beautiful
Posted by trevor armijo on May 7,2012 | 02:02 PM
Yeah, it would be so-o-o-o- much better if America looked like India, where they don't eat the cows -- and animals roamed around without any end to the food chain. That would make America so much better.... I guess those who say, "don't eat meat" would be thrilled with the senseless slaughter of animals because nobody eats them any more? Seriously, people...... Think things through, how 'bout it?
Posted by Evelyn on April 9,2012 | 12:49 PM
My husband and I are full time RVer's and we've spent nearly six months near or on the Colorado River. I don't think the natives give much thought to the amount of water they use or waste. Ww are currently staying in a campground that waters evwry day for at least 8 hours. Why would they waste so much water when the grass will die anyway? I understood the reckless use of water in Yuma. The crops needed water to survive. But so much os wasted in the desert southwest. It's a crime!
Posted by Cherri on March 18,2012 | 02:53 PM
Um, Lake Mead is up 40 feet over two years ago. Should have written this nonsense back then, would have sold better.
Posted by Lance Morningwood on November 10,2011 | 11:10 AM
I deny global warming and humanity which WILL go the way of the dinosaurs.
Posted by Chris Lehman on September 17,2011 | 09:44 PM
Read Reisner's "Caddilac Desert" and bounce around his bibliography a bit. Sandra Postel writes some very scary water books. I could care less about Repubs or Dems and their views and any climate change agenda. 9.5 people living in Colorado by 2050 is inviting catastrophe.
Posted by Doug on March 25,2011 | 02:33 PM
its soo lovely lol
Posted by dominique on February 23,2011 | 11:27 AM
If we keep moving people into areas that never were designed to support large numbers of people, we're going to have these disasters. You can't move large numbers of people into desert areas, where they want lush lawns, plants, not desert type plantings and then expect that the water resources will be enough to go around. This fact really has nothing to do with global warming except that, if by that process, the desertification of surrounding land is exacerbated, warmer temperatures will result. Study the Sahara, the Saheil. At one point, these were very fertile areas.
There are cultures who destroyed themselves by this process(e.g Easter Island and possibly a number American cultures)
Posted by ephillips on October 18,2010 | 09:24 PM
It's funny that the Smithsonian article does not mention Jonathan Waterman's book, Running Dry -- journey from source to sea down the Colorado River, a very interesting and well-written account of Waterman's journey, in stages and with different companions. Pete McBride accompanied him for the last stages into Mexico and the dry delta.
Posted by Hans Weber on October 18,2010 | 05:59 PM
It is clear that large cities in the arid West may not have a sustainable water supply over the coming years.
It is not clear whether there is any such thing as global warming and what if any its impact is on this region.
So why not keep the article simple and stick with what we know instead of throwing in random comments about glaciers in Peru.
Posted by Bob W on October 18,2010 | 01:58 PM
UGGG! I'll never understand how simpletons think they know better about any given branch of science than the scientists who actually study it. "Show me the data"??? Give me a break. You dummies wouldn't even know which way is up.
Posted by eddiequest on October 17,2010 | 12:33 AM
I have said this for decades - I would love to see the dams come off the Colorado (and all rivers), and let the water flow back along its natural route down into Mexico and out to sea. Let Los Angeles desalinate that big body of water it sits on, the Pacific Ocean, if they insist on sprawl. Leave our desert water alone.
Posted by nan on October 17,2010 | 01:39 PM
You global warming deniers are nuts, but unfortunately the impact of your craziness will hurt us all. What is wrong with you people?
Posted by Janice on October 15,2010 | 03:59 PM
i suppose the deniers haven't seen Mesa Verde or other "empty" cities where more water used to be. Change in water ecosystems is constant. who knows what tomorrow brings, rain or no rain.
the denial will last until they can't "buy" water. then they will be left high and dry. lol. Water wars. boy, the West certainly hasn't changed on the subject of water.
All the while, pretending otherwise. we know they can't be wrong!
Posted by bernard on October 14,2010 | 11:54 PM
i saw the bathrub rings on a recent visit and thought it was seasonal... obviously not!
it is a depressing article... what is the long-term solution to this problem besides abusive use of the natural resource?
Posted by takloo on October 14,2010 | 08:36 AM
We water pastures to feed meat animals.
We water grain crops to grow grain to feed meat animals.
Simple answer to save 60% of our wateful water usage:
Stop eating meat.
Animal production and consumption creates misery, health problems and ozone depletion (methane) and we simply can't afford to continue this obsolete practice.
If you want to make a difference- STOP EATING ANIMALS!
Posted by Alan on October 13,2010 | 03:52 PM
The people who think climate change is not real and is a hoax somehow perpetuated to scare people are precisely what is wrong with this country today. The conclusive evidence is there. Period. The people pertuating fear are those who stand to make fortunes continuing to pollute and run their businesses amok, i.e., the Koch bros and other fossil fuel titans. Stop being stupid. You are being played by demagogues like the fearful masses throughout history we've all read about but whose wild ignorance we could not quite understand. Turn off Fox News, consider your sources and your own prejudices and fears, and look at the data.
Posted by Mike on October 12,2010 | 02:12 PM
I have been skiing and running rivers sence the 1950's and I can tell you itis snowing less and the rivers are lower there are ebb and flow but we have to at least acknowlege the problem and conserve water in our every day lives and start a global thought process about what to do
Posted by Kirk Baker on October 12,2010 | 10:19 AM
Hmm.. let's see. @silas: So the hoax to push a global tax on every living person started back in the late 1800's when Alfred Russel Wallace pointed out that CO2 could be a problem... and now involves the Chinese government and every major scientific institution on the planet. Right. Do me a favor and go back out in the back yard and stay on the lookout for black helicopters, ok? Note: People don't listen to screaming capslock conspiracy nuts.
@oceanguy: Where is this body of work? All the nitpicking that has been accounted for in most scientific literature and models, like the effects of the sun and water vapor? Where is the data that AGW is not happening? I keep hearing about all this countering work and evidence - but I never see anyone post a link to it nor anyone present it in any coherent way.
SHOW ME THE DATA!
All you deniers do is cry hoax and conspiracy, and never actually present data or models that support your claims. And even if you did present any data that AGW might be wrong, (which is not black/white 100% - but a series of probable outcomes based on data) you then present no risk assessment for dealing with the strong probability AGW is real.
What it boils down to is that everybody wants to keep on like it's the 1990's and we can grow in a closed system forever, and not pay the price. Reality doesn't work that way. Cry hoax all you want, but gas laws and energy budgets and closed systems work in fairly well known and predictable ways. We know AGW is real - we just don't know how bad its going to be yet. And by the time we find out, it will probably be too late..
Posted by Frank Sharp on October 5,2010 | 10:06 AM
I'm trying to figure out what the purpose of this article is. Is it trying to scare us with global warming or is it a book review for Peter McBride. I'm confused. Looks more political than factual. Mayble a little history of what the land was like before the Colorado was tamed would help this article, but then that would problaby make the article unessesary.
Posted by Edie Cook on October 2,2010 | 04:57 PM
I live in Las Vegas, and believe me, this article is right on! We have lived here a little over 20 years, and have watched this get worse every year that passes. It's not a photoshop job, believe that, if you believe nothing else!
Posted by Gail Hicks on October 1,2010 | 05:36 PM
As a science teacher who lives near Lake Powell, I have lost all need or want to convince the ignorant masses that just because Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News contrive these conspiracies that are baseless lies, it doesn't mean they know nor speak the truth. Let them remain as they are and spend our energies on those who can at least count to ten without using their toes. I cannot teach common sense to those who believe global climate change is a myth. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks; nor can you teach uneducated persons how to recognize that global warming is happening and the carbon cycle has been totally misarranged by the ignorance of greed.
Posted by Lee Eversole on September 29,2010 | 06:30 PM
Is that first commenter meaning to infer that we could tax non-"LIVING PERSON!!"s as well?
I think that's a marvellous idea, particularly since dead people can't vote to reduce their taxes, hopefully reducing the tax burden "ON EVERY LIVING PERSON!!".
Oh they weren't? That's too bad. That idea almost made sense....
Posted by Ryan Deans on September 28,2010 | 02:21 PM
Whether you believe in global warming or not, here's no question that Lake Mead and Powell are are lower than almost any time since the dams were built and they started filling the reservoirs. The pictures in this article are not photo shopped. Drive by, as I have and look for yourself. The sad thing is that some states, CO and UT have not "used" their full allotment. There's a developer on the Front Range in CO that wants to build a multi-billion dollar pipeline from the Green River above Flaming Gorge Reservoir in western WY and pipe it to the Denver area. Unfortunately, the arcane water laws of the '20s may permit this to happen. The Green River is a major tributary to the Colorado River upstream from Lake Powell. Sometimes providing almost half of the Colorado's volume.
Posted by Tom MacCallum on September 26,2010 | 10:24 PM
99.9% of the scientists who study this problem are in agreement; Global Warming does exist and it is man made. You can put your denial in CAPS but it still will not change the facts. The right wing neonazis like silas do not like science or facts or thought, therefore would prefer to leave it in the hands of GOD. When the time comes silas and the other coolade drinkers will say it was GOD's will...it was written in the bible...it is god's revenge on man...the end of the world.
NOT TRUE!!!!
I know we can overcome this and the silas right but we have to become forceful. We have to shove it down silas's throat like a child who hates his medication but without it he dies. So shut up silas and take your meds and forget about the coolade. Global warming is real and we are going to do something about it and you make no difference what so ever.
Posted by Mikep on September 26,2010 | 03:13 PM
Wow! That is some fabulous logic... What happens on other planets is proof that man does not alter is environment on earth...
Posted by Mark Green on September 25,2010 | 05:18 PM
You got to start off the whole bleeping thing with climate change. Knock me over with a feather. I'm a fourth generation Colorado native and if I had a nickel for every time someone said that this reservoir or that lake would never be full again I would be rich.
Five years ago, at the peak of the current drought, they told us that Lake Granby would never be full again. Guess what? It's full. Weather changes. Deal with it.
I truly wish you people would quit making mountains out of mole hills. You have made a mockery of science. Some day some scientist will truly find something to be alarmed about but know one will believe him because of the mockery that is being made of science today.
Posted by Ben Hammer on September 25,2010 | 10:56 AM
This article belongs in a political forum, not the "Science and Nature" category of the Smithsonian Magazine. It's far beyond time for the Smithsonian to recognize and report on the true nature of the Anthropogenic Global Warming scare, and to publish at least some of the immense volume of work that shows the depth and breadth of the dishonesty behind the AGW industry. Continued support of such a hoax is doing irreparable damage to the Smithsonian's reputation. Please, get the politics out of science and I may once again subscribe.
Posted by oceanguy on September 25,2010 | 10:12 AM
Two weeks ago I attended an EIR (enviro impact report) approval session for a desalinization plant on the So Cal coast. What is relevant to this story is that not one of the many people and officials pleading for the project mentioned that perhaps limits on development in desert areas should be considered. No one acknowledged that the reason the desal plant was so badly needed was that we ignored reasonable population levels, letting greed overrun nature's capacity. Its the same aggressively ignorant thinking that generates the bah-humbug comment on climate change.
Posted by kevin nelson on September 24,2010 | 02:10 PM
"In Leopold’s time, the delta stretched over nearly 3,000 square miles; today, it covers fewer than 250, and the only water flowing through it, except after heavy rains, is the runoff from alfalfa, lettuce and melon fields and pecan orchards."
Where are the pecan orchards?? I don't remember seeing any nut orchards.
Posted by 123 on September 24,2010 | 01:00 PM
CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX AND A LIE TO PUSH A GLOBAL TAX ON EVERY LIVING PERSON!! THESE ARE EVIDENT IN THE WEST ANGLICA EMAILS THAT WERE INTERCEPTED[[GOOGLE THIS TERM- CLIMATEGATE]] STATIING THE SCIENTIST WERE FUDGING THE DATA TO THERE SPECIFICATIONS TO "PROVE"GLOBAL WARMING,CLIMATE CHANGE WAS MAN MADE! THE EARTH GOES THROUGH CYCLES OF WARM AND COOL FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS AS DOES THE SUN..SO WHY ARE OTHER PLANETS TEMPS GETTING WARMER?IS IT "MAN-MADE"? THE ANSWER IS NOOOOOOO HOW CAN WE INFLUENCE THE OTHER PLANETS WITH OUR CO2????IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!! LOOK IT UP AND LEARN THE REAL DEAL
Posted by silas hopsinger on September 23,2010 | 12:45 AM