The Colorado River Crisis

Environment

It is not a question of ‘if’ the Colorado River will run dry, it is a matter of ‘when’. The American Southwest has always been an arid landscape, but that did not stop people from moving west. From as early as 1893, it has been known that the Colorado River could not sustain such a large population. Despite this, the Southwest made the Colorado River it’s main source of water. Rather than seek alternative sources of water or focus on conservation, the government has falsified data and allowed exorbitant uses of water. Unless drastic measures are taken by governmental agencies and big corporations to reduce water loss, the river will run out, leaving 40 million people without access to clean water.