Do you know if President Biden's focused on this personally? Heard on All Things Considered. To all these demands add the stress of a 22 year drought - as dry as any period in 1,200 years - and you have a river in crisis. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. And ultimately, they're governed by each state independently. Media literacy: Based on the organization shes affiliated with, what interests do you think Jennifer Pitt represents? And it's gotten worse over time as there's been growth in agriculture, agriculture and cities, and climate change has exacerbated it. Associate producer, Cassidy McDonald. This is FRESH AIR. Is there something that could happen which would make people realize, my heavens, we've got a crisis that demands attention? Every month, Trinidad said he spends 1,600 pesos (about $91) for water. It can't work in today's world. Rheumatologist, epidemiologist discusses growth, spread of deer ticks, which transmit malady, and offers tips for how to avoid parasites, Five education scholars examine how admissions processes will change, what it may mean for colleges, universities and nation itself, University remains steadfast in commitment to campus that reflects wide range of backgrounds and experiences, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Bill Whitaker: So what does this tell you about what's happening on the Colorado River? The Colorado River is a major source of drinking water for some of the country's largest cities, including Los Angeles and Phoenix. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. Why don't - explain this for us. Nationwide, more than 44% of municipalities in Mexico were in drought in May, according to Mexicos National Water Commission. All rights reserved. ", But that wasn't the case in January when Tijuana shut off a water main to perform work and had to request about 540 acre-feet of emergency water from San Diego. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Let's figure out how to make cities use water as efficiently as possible. And so with their water budget the state of Utah has decided that it wants to use a portion of its water here in St. George, Utah. Every year its the same. And it illustrates, you know, how the Western culture - the ranching culture, the agricultural culture - is - you know, is both, you know, a vestige of history, but also has become critically important for the economies of those states and for the country. It has allowed extra time for this agreement to be reached. (Luke Runyon/KUNC) 2. DAVIES: So let's talk about what needs to change, what might happen. Desalinization requires an extraordinary amount of energy and then would require pipelines from the coast - maybe, you know, the Gulf of California - to distribute that water back northward, you know, over the Colorado River basin states. And thanks for spending some time with us. 4,343. Colorado River | Location, History, Map, & Facts | Britannica But there were farm subsidies from the federal government that made it almost mandatory to grow. The Colorado River Is in Crisis | Action for Drought and Heat But, you know, they're up against the hard economic realities of the lives that they live. And it's crucially difficult now. This is why we call this event a hot drought. But it's a big, gaping loophole in the laws that govern how water is being used. I mean, seems like it makes sense, doesn't it? And this is another - you know, another example, though, maybe not entirely misplaced. JB Hamby: There's a lot of urban growth and sprawl occurring in other parts of the Colorado River Basin that's really not necessarily sustainable. The Colorado's flow has already declined by nearly 20 percent, on average, from its flow throughout the 1900s, and if the current rate of warming continues, the loss could well be 50 percent by . Lately, the river has been running dry due to the historically severe drought. And then, you have the food security considerations for the - you know, for the country on a much grander scale. Sometimes even though there is water, the pumps fail, the power fails, or the pipe breaks, and service is interrupted.. Are there clear signs something was really wrong? None of them are new. Amelia Flores: All the water users are gonna have to give up something to keep that water in the lake. It wasn't a particularly lucrative crop. And it's an example of extraordinary, you know, water use that goes to a very small segment, you know, of society and meets a - you know, a very small purpose. GAZETTE: What would you say are the big factors at play? Part of the water law that's pervasive across the West and especially in the upper basin, which includes Colorado, is a stipulation that your water rights are protected so long as you use them. Free Visitors Guide. And this: in times of shortage, channels that provide more than a third of Arizona's water must run dry before California is required to cut back. And there is some savings there. Slow things are not as dramatic, don't catch attention. HORSLEY: That is a good way to put it. Snowmobiling in Colorado's backcountry. HORSLEY: Actually, I think those are major drivers. Elk in a stream at Rocky Mountain National Park. GAZETTE: Is a solution simply raising the price of water? And we're not quite seeing that from this administration or any administration, for that matter. DAVIES: Well, Abrahm Lustgarten, thanks so much for your reporting. And when theres not enough water, the junior rights holders are the first to get cut. Today, they are at just about 30% capacity. DAVIES: Sounds like the kind of thing where, you know, a presidential intervention might be warranted. We spend a lot. DAVIES: Wow. The podcast Parched, from Colorado Public Radio . / CBS News. As Colorado River reservoirs drop, states urged to 'act now' - Los And a part of that is because each of them also generates a whole lot of power that's distributed across - electrical power, hydropower that's distributed across the Western states. And that can happen. The 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. As a young man, Brad was a Colorado River guide. And, you know, it's both a source of fascination for me and, you know, a part of the country that's incredibly important to me. As the latest round of federal forecasts for the river's flow shows, it's plausible, maybe even likely, that the situation could get much worse this year. Wow (laughter). The state of Arizona agreed to pay them for their losses. As you said, it, of course, is through seven states. When the fun begins, your heartbeats could be heightened to conquer the rapids of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. Well, Abrahm Lustgarten, welcome back to FRESH AIR. Video journalist Jordi Lebrija contributed to this report. You want to explain this? Rising temperatures also increase evaporation and transpiration by plants, reducing the available amount of water. Do you think that this is a factor that, you know - that holds the federal government back from taking over - taking stronger policy steps in this area? By Yiren Lu. In 2012, so a number of years ago now, the federal government undertook a study of these alternatives. https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment. One of the problems that you've described is the way water rights are honored that have been in place for decades. DAVIES: There's also just the kind of agriculture that is practiced in a lot of the states - Arizona, California. Colorado River water cuts needed to avert supply crisis, Senate - Axios LUSTGARTEN: A lot of the experts that I talked to say that it is time for a national water policy. But generally speaking, water rights are given to the first to arrive. Waylon Wuertz: It's been close to 50% of the water that we've used to-- to farm here. And again, during the last 20 years when theyve been having drought conditions and climate change is becoming more evident, theyre still building new subdivisions, developing more properties, creating more demand. DAVIES: Well, I want to be there when they tow the iceberg. It follows the first-ever federal shortage declaration on the Colorado River, triggering cuts to water supplies in the Southwest. So the potential in those figures, as you said, is the entire flow of the Colorado River. But the recognition that that's a pervasive problem, you know, is widespread, and it's one of the things that policymakers are hoping to address now as we look desperately for new ways to conserve water. So what this boils down to is a lot of outdoor water usage, and specifically lawns. And, you know, their projection is that Lake Powell could reach dead pool by the end of 2023, that the elevation of the water there would go below the intake pipes that run the generation plant and pass water through the rest of the Colorado River. The river leaps and jumps through the rock gardens next to the shore. It's an incredible number. Why keeping the Colorado River healthy is a constant struggle And there's - you know, it really becomes kind of a classic model for the need for an overarching policy that can tie all of these, you know, various needs and interests together. And acre feet is, you know, is the volume of water used to measure the Colorado. The move comes as the American West. For Part 1, It's really time to kind of go back to the drawing board. Hours ahead of the midnight deadline on the afternoon of Jan. 31, a group of Arizona lawmakers and water users gathered in the old state Capitol building to watch Gov. The people more recently in, the junior rights, would get severely limited. August 26, 2021 Lake Mead has dipped to record low water levels. DAVIES: Now, the federal government this summer asked states to agree on voluntary reductions. JB Hamby: Building a multibillion dollar pipeline to pump out more water from an already rapidly declining reservoir simply doesn't make sense in the 21st century. And it's just, you know, become a bit of an intractable problem. If you buy a package of carrots in New Jersey, you've most likely bought carrots that were grown in the Imperial Valley in California. And you just get this sense that the place has drained. And there's been all sorts of stories of old towns uncovered, boats that had long ago sunk uncovered and even dead bodies, murders in the Las Vegas area, people who had been, you know, disposed of in the reservoir suddenly coming back above the waterline. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. He laser leveled his fields to make irrigation more efficient. For the most part, theres less snowpack in the mountains that provide snowmelt to the Colorado River. LUSTGARTEN: Well, I think that if there were a shift in the easy availability of any kind of food you want, any time you want it, no matter where you are, that would point people to the severity of the crisis or the severity of the future crisis. Its looked at as a shift in the climate regime that will require deeply rethinking this whole thing? HORSLEY: The climate change stuff is tricky. July 2, 2023, 6:00 a.m. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. It is the biggest problem we have, said Hernandez, who has lived in Rancho el Chicote for 20 years, about the lack of running water. But, you know, one of the things that, you know, my sources groan about at the moment is that this hasn't been recognized as the even greater, you know, national emergency that it is, whether that's, you know, part of the argument for a national water policy or simply, you know, recognizing that, you know, when it comes to climate change, perhaps after cutting emissions of carbon dioxide, regulating or addressing the, you know, the country's overarching water scarcity concerns, you know, should be a top priority or should be the next priority. So what's happening now? In the West, a lot of those subsidies are sent to farmers that have historically grown things that happen to be very water-inefficient - so farmers who grow alfalfa and, in the example you're describing that I reported on, farmers who grow cotton in the Arizona desert. The battle for the Colorado River | The Week Lustgarten's 2015 series on the water shortage in the West was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Updated: June 29, 2023. He dipped into retirement funds to repair and restart old wells. What was the scale of them? For a transcript of this story, click here. It is the agricultural, you know, heartland for the country. But it's obviously, you know, a factor in their larger thinking so that, you know, the Department of Interior has had to cope with, for example, some of the land use disputes, you know, with you know, with armed factions in Oregon and in Nevada over the last couple of years. St. George, the county seat, is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the U.S. Its population grew 29% this past decade. The water fight over the shrinking Colorado River - BBC News Bill Whitaker: So, so wait a minute, Arizona is being called on to cut its water intake before California has to give up even one drop? So we have to dial back demand. What Is Happening With The Colorado River Drought Plans? DAVIES: Right. The federal government has officially declared the. By Bill Whitaker October 24, 2021 / 7:35 PM / CBS News This past week, California declared a statewide drought emergency. What Is Happening With The Colorado River Drought Plans? His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Wired, Salon and Esquire, among other publications. Bill Whitaker: But it was a budget that was set when water was plentiful. And it is an irreplaceable source of water that has sustained Western development for more than 100 years. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. On his fifth stop after re-filling his truck, water truck driver Ramirez descended a steep, gravel road to enter a neighborhood with about 100 homes not connected to city water. And the climate science is increasingly clear that that trend is going to continue. I'm Dave Davies, and this is FRESH AIR. I mean, some people I talked to talk about the creation of a climate czar or a national office of water policy. This is-- through hundreds of miles of canal system. All Rights Reserved, Italys largest lake drops to near-historic low amid extreme drought in Europe. Today he analyzes the impact of climate change on water resources. DAVIES: Abrahm Lustgarten is an investigative reporter focusing on the environment at ProPublica. For example, after all the litigation and negotiations, the law ends up allocating more water than actually flows down the Colorado. Conservation measures that keep more water stored in Lake Mead have reduced flows downstream through habitats for endangered fish, birds and snakes, necessitating ever more intervention to avoid . Slow things are not as dramatic, dont catch attention. The Colorado River water shortage is forcing tough choices in 7 - NPR Alfalfa is one of the most water-consuming crops you could possibly grow. On Aug. 16, the U.S. federal government declared a Colorado River water shortage for the first time. The best example of the senior right is Imperial Valley, California. I'm thinking mainly of alfalfa and then of grasses for grazing. PAGE, Ariz. The first sign of serious trouble for the drought-stricken American Southwest could be a whirlpool. ABRAHM LUSTGARTEN: Oh, yeah. Over the past two years, Mexico's share of Colorado River water was slashed by 7%, and while those cuts have yet to affect Tijuana, hydrologists and policy experts emphasize that the city and state of Baja California need to secure other water sources soon. But suffice to say that things that once seemed absolutely out of the question are no longer out of the question. After food, it's his largest expense. It covers 1,400 miles. And it has been dispiriting at best to watch, you know, the lack of progress over the years that I've reported on this issue. Colorado River states announce breakthrough water sharing deal. Here's how to get it. He's an investigative reporter focusing on the environment at ProPublica. LUSTGARTEN: Yeah. Fill outthis formto share your thoughts on Classrooms resources. Its highly likely to go there, and thats not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, if you live in the West or you visit the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River system, which are Lake Powell and Lake Mead, it's abundantly clear that they're running out of water. But are these sustainable things? A progressive water-rate structure can provide low rates for a base level of essential water usage with significantly higher unit rates for nonessential usage, such as lawn irrigation. As for this tradition in water rights that you get to keep the water rights you have as long as you use all of that water, even if you waste it, any chance that that could be changed? Smart growth and sustainable development practices can significantly lower the water footprint. Zach Renstrom manages the water system for Washington County in southwest Utah. See Colorado's National Parks. Bill Whitaker: These white bathtub rings; is-- is this where the water used to be? We are speaking with Abrahm Lustgarten. U.S. takes unprecedented steps to replenish Colorado River's Lake Powell What is Utah hoping for? So it's been a coup historically for California to get access to this water, the result of really difficult negotiations in the past and then the building of extraordinary infrastructure - more canals, more pipelines - to bring that water farther west into California. PRICE: Starting at $99 /adult $94 /youth. And it courses all the way down to the Gulf of California between Baja and Mexico. The federal government has resisted. So it wouldn't generate any electricity at all in that case? For now, we have enough water. Drought threatens Colorado River with 'complete doomsday scenario Those are difficult decisions that kind of get at or, you know, erode the independence of - you know, of a lot of those farmers. You can also watch a variety of entertainment - including concerts from Grammy-winning artists - at the property. It might be jarring when a complete stranger pulls up his shirt while youre trying to eat dinner. Seventy percent of Colorado River water goes to agriculture. The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. Bill Whitaker: Is the west on a collision course with climate change? And some of that water goes to Los Angeles and also to the metro area around San Diego. LUSTGARTEN: Yeah. And I think that's where a lot of the tension in the current negotiations lie, the sense of unfairness across the region that California hasn't yet had to feel the pain. Let's let ag grow crops that use less water. Coming up, Kevin Whitehead reviews the recording of a live solo concert by pianist Mal Waldron in 1978 that's being released for the first time. DAVIES: So if agriculture changes dramatically, if California is forced to grow less, what does that mean for the balance of the - you know, the nation's food supply? We grow it across Arizona and parts of California. And if the cities don't adopt those standards then we'll be out of water very quickly. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2023 NewsHour Production LLC. There was also the issue, last time we spoke, of cotton being grown in Arizona, which, at the time, didn't - there wasn't a great market for it. We're speaking with ProPublica investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten about the water scarcity facing the states in the West that rely on the Colorado River. Another thing with the allocation is they are missing some important stakeholders. You know, a lot of national disasters are really visible and dramatic - you know, wildfires and hurricanes. You have the cultural impact of what that would mean to those communities. We also like to live in beautiful, sunny climates, where there may not be a lot of water. Accuracy and availability may vary. I think a water rate structure is part of it, but you may not get all of the response you want if you simply rely on that. HORSLEY: Education, peer pressure, prices, and regulation are the drivers. In charge of running the water utility in Tijuana is Victor Amador, who, despite the daily struggles for water in the city, denied that taps run dry except when work is being done on the pipes. HORSLEY: I think pricing is one tool that can be used to conserve water but we need to be sensitive to lower-income populations and affordability. Auctions Foreclosed These properties are owned by a bank or a lender who took ownership through foreclosure proceedings. I hope we'll have enough water to plant it in the future. And it's now about 180 feet above the water level. Copyright 2022 NPR. Among the last cities downstream to receive water from the shrinking Colorado River, Tijuana is staring down a water crisis driven also by aging, inefficient infrastructure and successive governments that have done little to prepare the city for diminishing water in the region.
