Water Shortage In Colorado River Essay

The Colorado River runs 1,450 miles from the Rockies in Colorado to the Gulf of California in Mexico. It is responsible for suppling freshwater to seven of United States western states. Those states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. In 1922, these states met and agreed upon water allocations each state would receive. They signed the Colorado River Compact of 1922, which split the Colorado River Basinamong the states into a lower and upper basin, based on where the basin waters naturally drain into the river north or south of Lee Ferry.North of Lee Ferry is considered upper basin and south is lower. It is the lower basin states (Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) that are experience the brunt of the water shortage.

Climate change in the southwestern US includes above averagetemperatures, and less rainfalls. These changes are contributors to the water shortage. GeoscientistBrad Udall, director of the University of Colorado Western Water Assessment, estimates the climate change will contributeto 5-20 percent of water loss in the next forty years. While the climate changedoescontribute to the water shortagein the region, it is not the main factor.

When the treaty was signed in 1922, the Colorado River had a above average river flow of 21 billion cubic meters. The allocations that
were agreed upon between the upper and lower basin were based on this number. The problem is that the river can produce a flow between 6-25 billion cubic meters, but every year the law allocates21 billion cubic meters. About 70 of that allocation is used to water 3.5 million acres of farms and ranches. The collection of all the laws and treaties for the Colorado river are referredto as the "The Law of the River" and in this collection are laws that actually encourage farmers to use all of their allocation whether they need it or not so they will not loseany water allocation the next year.

Another factor to the water shortage is population growth.
The more the population grows the more resources and water will be needed. So cities and counties need to become water conscientious and emulate the water policies of cities, like Las Vegas, have in place. They encourage residentsto have yards with plants that requireminimumwater and they highly regulate their golf courses where the excesswater goes back to the Colorado River. The leaders involved in the area need to review the Law of the River and ensure all the policies and laws reflect the needs of the people as well as to keep the best interestif the
environment.