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| Thu, 8th Apr 2021 14:21:00 |
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The water fight over the shrinking Colorado River |
Scientists have been predicting for years that the Colorado River would continue to deplete due to global warming and increased water demands, but according to new studies it's looking worse than they thought.
That worries rancher Marsha Daughenbaugh, 68, of Steamboat Springs, who relies on the water from the Colorado River to grow feed for her cattle.
"That water is our lifeblood and without it we would not have the place that we do," says Daughenbaugh, who was raised on this ranch and is hoping to pass it down to her children and the next generation.
"Ranching is not only an economic base for us, it's a way of life."
But with a two-decade drought in the southwestern US and record-low snowfalls, that lifestyle could be in jeopardy.
"Things seem to be happening even faster than the models or scientists were warning just a few years ago," says Brad Udall, a water and climate scientist at Colorado State University. "If you're not worried about all this, you're not paying attention."
Recent reports show that the river's water flows were down 20% in 2000 and by 2050 that number is estimated to more than double.
It's a problem we can't engineer our way out of any longer, Udall says.
"We have massive dams on the Colorado River already. A bigger bank account with less income doesn't do you a whole lot of good," he warns.
Many, like Jim Lochhead, agree there is only one solution - use less water.
"Despite the complexities of how we reach the solutions, the problem is really quite simple. It's a mass balance equation. We have too many demands and not enough water," says Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water, Colorado's largest water utility.
"And so at the end of the day, demands overall will need to be reduced and managed in order to keep the bank account solvent."
Read original full article
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