Who Killed the Colorado River?

[@daniels7907]

Doesn't help that you have people moving into the desert from wetter places and just assuming that "The Government" can magically provide water to transform the desert to look like the Southeast. People move in and want lawns, trees, golf courses, swimming pools, and more. That's before you even get to "minor" details like drinking water, which they also assume "The Government" can magically create.

[@Fido-vm9zi]

It should be desert in the desert.

[@slappy8941]

Most people are stupid, inconsiderate, thoughtless, greedy, and completely unconcerned with the future. This is a universal fact, and will never change.

[@matthewmccarthy2406]

I trust the Private sector to provide me with all I need. And capitalism, and the free market, and Santa Claus. So sick of ignorant right with fascists destroying the USA.

[@ab-td7gq]

It's especially animal agriculture that causes the issue. People could easily live there.

[@PolPotsPieHole]

less than 1% of 1% of all water used goes to golf courses.

[@Kokally]

You think this is bad, wait until you look into the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer. A fifth of America's agriculture is reliant on it and it'll be depleted in the next 50 years.

[@nerobernardino88]

Another terrifying precedent is the Aral Sea and its now radioactive sandstorms.

[@jrstsb1353]

Shhh, comforting lies, the truth is not appreciated.

[@yuanruichen2564]

Well it's not bad for Americans to eat 1/5 less and lose fat

[@legitbeans9078]

Family guy: you think thats bad! Remember the time that insert random situation here

[@LCCWPresents]

I would argue further that once this aquafer is drained the American empire will rapidly collapse.

[@johnperic6860]

10:30 What's the worst about the Alfalfa and Lettuce production in the Colorado River Basin is that it only contributes to something like 5% of the nation's supply. It's entirely unnecessary. Even if we were to completely get rid of alfalfa and lettuce farms in the Southwest, it would have almost no impact on their availability nationwide, including for cattle. We're sacrificing our most endangered and of our most important rivers for something that isn't even necessary.

[@attemptityourself5662]

The alfalfa is largely shipped over to SA anyways. Their own govt restricted water usage so they came to America where a plot of land gives you all the water you like with zero regulations. Thanks Republicans. Small government is swell.

Politions screwed the people over money for water.

[@AndyGodwin8787-k1v]

?

[@kevinconrad6156]

Not sure we have a good replacement for the veggies during the winter, 90% from the numbers I am seeing, don't know where you came up with that 5%. The alfalfa, cotton, Bermuda grass and Sudan grass are a waste.

[@DigitalConfusion1]

Wow John, what ignorance. Yuma, AZ area supplies 90% of the leafy greens and vegetables for the U.S. and Canada.

[@EnvisionedBlindness]

*27 year old, Yuma native here:* Most of the species that used to be found in Our wetlands have long since disappeared due to the destruction of the rivers flow. We were once natural and thriving desert oasis but now we are just a wannabe Phoenix. Every time we’ve accomplished any restoration, it’s given the green light to destroy more rather than continue. It’s very disheartening to see. I’ve watched so much be lost just since my teenage years Edit: just drove past a large section of wilderness that was located beneath the mesa that our hospital sits on and discovered it cleared and under development for construction

[@krono5el]

the billionaires will take care of everyone, millionaires are always known for loving the poor and environment.

[@elmorocha4973]

@@krono5el🙄

[@johnwright9372]

Private equity companies with shareholders from everywhere in the world, including countries NOT friendly to democracy, are buying up land, assets and water sources.

[@jeanetteanton935]

Montana mostly uses rain water to water alpha.

[@kallehalvarsson5808]

The most infuriating thing to me about the dam projects on the river is how much of that energy is spent on the most energy-wasting city in the workd: Las Vegas. The Sphere uses as much power as 23,000 households. The laser on top of the Luxor tower uses as much as 230 households, just beaming power into the sky.

[@WallaceStegner-e7r]

Las Vegas is the capital of gambling, illegal prostitution, gambling addiction, water waste, ruination of ecology, sordid, crass, greedy losers. It's a blight on the desert.

[@gonzalesg0221]

If the strip wasn't profiting over a billion dollars a month from dumb ass tourists gambling away all their money here, they wouldn't have the incentive to keep building up the city of lights. But we are one if not the most water efficient city in the world. Win some you lose some I guess.

[@MoCsomeone]

They could do it all with solar, it's a damn desert... Yet they refuse to cuz some billionaires don't give a fuuuu about anyone or anything but themselves

[@Fabian-jw5ih]

Luckily, You're not to decide what is a waste and what is appropriate.

[@christiancruiz9044]

Las vegas is actually one of the best water managed city's in USA. They recycle every bit of water they use also they borrow more then they're allowed but it all get put back into the river. I watch a whole documentary about it.

[@RadioactvPanda]

Don't forget that corporations own land in arizona where they can pump groundwater unmetered as long as they own that land. The Colorado River is mostly used to resupply these reservoirs. Great video!!

[@Wiscotac]

Right. And, some states along the Colorado river basin won't even allow individuals rain barrels. My my.

[@davidborboa77]

China owns a big chunk here west of Phoenix.

[@davidborboa77]

​@Wiscotac that's california. It has plenty of it's own water, but mismanagement caused them to take more and more from the river. Go talk to the farmers. It's the government coming in telling them how and what to farm.

[@Epicbob-c2l]

The ground that the Saudis rented to farm in Arizona is owned by the state not corporations. In fairness the Saudis paid to convert that ground from diesel pumping to electric pumps and spent millions doing it, so the state actually got a great deal if you consider the air quality more important than the water supply. The biggest issue on the river is central Arizona and the coast taking water from the river and dumping it in the ground in drought years and then complaining that something must be done to save the river when they having the least right to the river and they caused the shortage

[@davidborboa77]

@@Epicbob-c2l do you work for the California state government.

[@Baustin13214]

Desert golf courses and alfalfa farms be like, "My river, my water, and if I continue: my dune."

[@junglechick13]

Golf courses in the desert. Grrr....... What an unconscionable waste of water!

[@sagetmaster4]

​​@@junglechick13 cotton and alfalfa are way worse, especially when you realize all of those massive fields should be prime habitat because that's where the groundwater is, but yes the golf courses suck too

[@The_Savage_Wombat]

@@junglechick13 Parks, residential use, golf courses, lawns all make up less than 3% of the water use of the lower Colorado. It's almost entirely farming and industrial use that's causing the problem.

[@dinmavric5504]

@@The_Savage_Wombat If corporations were producing most of the garbage issues in the world I would not be dumping plastic in rivers just because I am 0.0001% of the issue.

[@critiqueofthegothgf]

the desert takes the weak

[@TheHonestPeanut]

Imagine knowing all of this and STILL thinking you deserve all the water you want to grow non native crops. Saying people don't care about "working farmers" as you demand the right to destroy your neighbors wells while complaining about government over reach... Nuts.

[@michaelpowell7120]

democrats

[@brokenrecord3523]

There isn't a group of people more firmly attached to the government's teat than farmers.

[@MikeGrant-q7b]

Don't forget it was St. Reagan who told us the government is the enemy

[@slappy8941]

​@@brokenrecord3523 Unfortunately, agriculture and politics can never be separated, because it's so vital to our society. Unless we can come up with a way to produce food that makes economic and environmental sense, nothing will change.

[@h82fail]

@@slappy8941 Things tend to be better when everything is honest and transparent though. If people had to pay the true costs for food people would make better decisions. For example if a pound of beef takes 4 times as much water as a pound of chicken, and the end consumer actually pays for that water and it was not given to the farmers though some loopholes - people would maybe pick the chicken over beef and everything would be better because of less water used?

[@davenewman2751]

The use it or loose it reminded me of my many years in management. Every year when i submitted my budget i had to battle line items where we didn't fully spend all that was budgeted during previous year. This even included equipment maintenance and replacement. If we had done a good job of maintaining an instrument or machine and extended its estimated useful life they would cut our budget for the ensuing budget.

[@garrybaker6725]

Central California also suffers from the same issues. The problem is the water is over 'contracted'. In my opinion, these contracts need to be reassessed. At the base an allotment needs to be assigned to a 'healthy' river flow. From there contracts should be assigned on a percentage bases. This impact ag and urban use in a big way, but storage and alternate water sources need to be exploited. The use of solar energy to desalinate ocean water is one possibility. We cannot keep going on just to go on. New solutions and infrastructure needs to be developed.

[@cougar02000]

The use it or lose it water rights are a brilliant way of ensuring water is going to be wasted, meaning it ensures water is being used unnecessarily just to keep the right to use it.

[@junglechick13]

Right? What an insane waste of water!

[@juqual78]

That and they are depositing more salts than needed into the ground, and washing away much of the soil health!

[@badabing3391]

im pretty sure this is fundamentally the same way government budget gets allocated

[@cougar02000]

@@badabing3391 I'm sure you're right, and that's why there's so much governmental waste,

[@darkwing3713]

Yes, it's insanely stupid. And all that waste forces people without water rights to tap their aquifer, which can be a problem for an entire region. And once you've drained your aquifer, you start getting sink holes. And once you lose your aquifer, it's hard to get it back. Some aquifers take thousands of years to recharge.

[@Virtuous_Rogue]

Something the video doesn't mention, the 1922 interstate compact set its allocation numbers based on average flow of the previous 10 years. Turns out those 10 years were the wettest 10 years in the West in the entire time we've been measuring it.

[@paulbedichek5177]

In Ca they use 22 gallons to grow one almond, agriculture and lawns are extremely wasteful of water.

[@Epicbob-c2l]

@@paulbedichek5177 crazy how plants need water to grow. We need to convert our crops over to sea water or just put everyone on a all meat diet so we wouldn’t use anymore water on growing water wasting crops.

[@paulbedichek5177]

@@Epicbob-c2l Yes, stop wasting water on water hungry crops, it is a complete waste.

[@cyan_oxy6734]

​@@Epicbob-c2l Why do you have to grow crops in the desert in the first place? It's not like the US has not enough land.

[@melikecomedy]

​@@Epicbob-c2l you know cows drink water right?

[@bigjared8946]

A geologist fellow named John Wesley Powell predicted this nearly 2 centuries ago. He was shouted down by land speculators and the Manifest Destiny ideology of the time.

[@Wiscotac]

Ah yes, And, *" the Manifest Destiny ideology"* or the real reason Mexico is a lot smaller than previously and the US's policy of making sure that real trickle down economics works to screw Mexico and the Colorado delta out of as much water as possible especially during drought years in the southwest.

[@SpaceZ_eus]

What makes me the most upset is the corn and vegetables used to make biodiesel, probably the worst type of fuel we have in terms of waste

[@xuansu9036]

Literally using more energy to produce them than the energy we can get out of them.

[@brandnewyou5254]

Thank you for such a straightforward video I really like the style of the video and I really appreciate your candor

[@pufthemajicdragon]

As a resident of Colorado, I'm in a few gardening-related local social media groups. It's appalling how many people move here and try to grow things like they could in the midwest or pacific northwest. They pour thousands of gallons into their lawns and non-native gardens and then wonder why their utility bill is so high and why their garden is still dying. You moved to a desert people. You need to learn to live like a Fremen. And don't get me started on the exported cattle feed and terrible water rights management. I have SO many feelings.

[@kypetrovich5750]

What groups are you apart of ? I'm also a beginners Gaia steward trying to live sustainably and ethically in reciprocity with the ecosystem here on Ute, Araahoe, Cheyenne territories of what we call Colorado

[@CharlieBam]

💯 for the Fremen reference 😅 I live in Texas and have seen the same. And it's odd to me cause my first thought with any plant is "will it grow well here?". If it doesn't grow well here, doesn't matter how bad I want it, I'm just not gonna grow it.

[@willhunting8733]

Is all of Colorado like this or just the western regions? Curious because the boulder area seems very green in photos.

[@pufthemajicdragon]

@@willhunting8733 The whole state is alpine desert, even the Kansas half. Boulder looks green in photos because of irrigation of farmland. That irrigation water comes from quickly depleting ground water aquifers or is pumped across the mountains from the Colorado River. Boulder gets an average of about 20 inches of precipitation per year and the statewide mean is 18 inches. For comparison, Missouri gets about 40 inches of precipitation per year. Colorado has also been going through an extended drought for the last 20+ years, making precipitation more rare and more inconsistent. Boulder looks green because of the very problems described in this video.

[@teglaprbambaluftlaurvafhen5449]

Feelings will have always and yes we can fix anyrhing😮

[@kevinsellsit5584]

You mentioned the beautiful green golf courses we have so many of in Phoenix...they are apparently very important because if you look at the school yards you just see dirt. Why golf courses are a better use of our water than school yards that were once grass, I'm not sure.

[@Fido-vm9zi]

Quite a metaphor

[@juqual78]

Because the people that play on the courses are rich and the kids aren't. Sucks to suck! /s

[@MbisonBalrog]

Effing rich people. Who else afford to go golf courses.

[@tomasmondragon883]

Well, there's public golf courses that are cheaper, but probably not as well watered. Then again, golfing equipment itself is expensive. ​

[@saucywench9122]

Aren't school yards either federal or State owned? And aren't the golf courses privately owned? Looking at both of those ask yourself who is wisely spending money?

[@karen23826]

This is why I left Arizona. I grew up there. And year after year no politician there had the guts to start addressing the looming water crisis in a meaningful way. In fact they did the opposite. And encouraged the cities to grow and encouraged people to move there. This past year it is coming to a head, the federal government gave an ultimatum to the states utilizing Colorado River water to divi up what was projected to be available to them or the federal government would allocate the water themselves. As the globe warms the drought in the southwest is only going to get worse and the water crisis will continue and worsen. If you are thinking about moving there. Don’t. At some point you will go thirsty.

[@bpsreston1]

What is the proper globe temp? Are we hot or cold compared to that mysterious number? Is this number static or dynamic since temp fluctuates.

[@Demopans5990]

​@@bpsreston1 It is whatever industrial civilization was built on circa 100 years ago, aka fairly chilly

[@johnbland1422]

TX will be facing these issues much faster than they think.

[@karen23826]

@@bpsreston1 yours are disingenuous questions designed to put doubt into the actual science/evidence. It is a common tactic used by those who wish to believe that human induced catastrophic global warming isn’t real and want to bring others down with them or wish to profit in the short term off of the backs of our children. If, however, you are seriously wondering about the answers to these questions then I suggest you review the evidence and science discussed in reputable, peer reviewed publications and educate yourself.

[@amaureaLua]

@@bpsreston1 Life is adaptable and can thrive under a broad range of climates. In that sense today's temperature is pretty arbitrary. But evolution is pretty slow, so life has trouble adapting to rapid *changes* in climate. In geological history, we see that past episodes of rapid climate change is implicated in global mass extinctions, which illustrates how vulnerable life is to rapid changes. So for the most part, it's not the end temperature that matters, it's how quickly you got there.

[@YaowBucketHEAD]

I used to live in New Mexico and I'll be 100% honest saying that the water situation/droughts scared the hell out of me. Everyone I knew did not care and paid it no mind expecting the government to "figure it out", but with larger populations, it only puts more stress on an exhausted water supply. I actually loved living in the desert, and made every effort to conserve and wisely use water, but I was one of the very few. I got out of there. I don't see how this problem becomes a disaster in the future.

[@GloucesterODaugherty]

Makes sense for red states. I lived in Phoenix, Arizona and nobody cared about how much water they used for their lawns. They didn’t even have watering restrictions back then.

[@customer5032]

As a resident of Arizona, this is terrifying! 😢

[@愛莎-l4w]

Plant Native Trees👍 Plant Native Plants👍 Plant Native Flowers🌼 Plant Native Seaweeds indigenous species Native Biodiversity Biodiversity benefits👍 Ecosystem-Friendly

[@AchillesCanine]

and Go Vegan!

[@samelioto476]

Ok, in what way would that help feed people?

[@emom358]

Get the guys from CRIME PAYS BUT BOTANY DOESN'T. They are here on YT.

[@hmhmoinsdk]

@@samelioto476 well if you were to use crops that actually feed humans and were suitable for the place they are planted you would both have space and water that now is used on cattlefeed to have both nature and more than enough food ...

[@sabine8419]

And you will need ruminant animals impact to build deep topsoils.

[@amberpark9587]

I visited the colorado river once when i went to see family in las vegas. It was so shallow i never wouldve guessed it was the colorado. We have rivers in pennsylvania that have so much more water.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

The Rio Grande isn't much better. I remember driving onto a huge bridge over… what seemed like nothing. I've seen things we called "creeks" or "streams" bigger than the "Grand River".

[@420frankp]

Shhhhhh 🤫

[@PolPotsPieHole]

@@AnonymousFreakYT you guys should open a book and read it , it'll blow your mind

[@jasonlongwell9192]

People from the east coast don't understand how big a deal water is in the west. In the east there are hundreds of rivers that are bigger than the Colorado River and the climate in the east is just wetter. Average rainfall dwarfs what we get in the west. The majority of the west is a desert and water is much more of a precious commodity than in the East. There are only a handful of small rivers providing water to a vast amount of land. I've noticed that people from the east take water for granted.

[@darksu6947]

​@@jasonlongwell9192People in the western states are the ones that take water for granted. It's delusional to build massive cities with huge agricultural operations on the outskirts while being in the middle of a desert. I've been waiting 25 years for you fools to run out of water but everytime it gets close the skies open up and save you guys for a few more years. It's going to be an interesting experience when the water doesn't come back. I live in the mountains of Virginia. I highly doubt we'll be open to sharing the water we have in abundance, with people that care so little about the one thing humans need to survive.

[@katringibbins4270]

The river wetlands suck away 18% of the rivers water?!?!? The ecosystems OF THE RIVER portrayed as fellow culprits?! Seriously? The US should just accept that large parts of their land are arid or semi-arid. And then adapt strategies for the water scarcity.

[@nathanolds6863]

They are artificial river wetlands

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

Capitalism says no, you can't have that water back.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

It is ridiculous that we saw a big old desert and went "yeah, this is a great place to grow water-intense crops!"

[@CorbiniteVids]

Not to mention wetlands are absolutely crucial for carbon sequestration. Most ecosystems, even very productive ecosystems with a lot of plants, don't sequester carbon longterm because most carbon that ends up in the plants will just be eaten by an animal or decomposed by fungi/bacteria and get released back into the atmosphere as co2. Wetlands are one of the ecosystems where carbon that gets taken into plant tissues actually stands a chance at getting buried and mineralized

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

@@AnonymousFreakYT Not as ridiculous as the fact that politicians at almost every level are actively eager to roll over on the growers behalf. Then again, $5 will buy you a cup of coffee AND a Congresscritter.

[@raheembrowm534]

I'm sure that before the 1900s there were millions of beavers in the area. One beaver is capable of storing over a million gallons of water in their ponds. Imagine how much more water there could be if the beaver population was restored.

[@snookmeister55]

The Emerald Mile is a good book about the river, although I suppose it's dated with respect to severe water shortages. As an easterner, I found the three deserts to be rather baren and hostile. Great experience to have, once, rafting 188 miles of the Colorado.

[@NeilBlanchard]

A non-trivial fact about the Salton Sea - it has all the chemicals that we dump on our crops - and the water there is essentially hazardous waste.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@bradhuffjr777 the chemicals are all manner of fertilizers and insecticides - no lithium, I don't think?

[@bradhuffjr777]

@@NeilBlanchard The Salton Sea in California is a rich source of lithium, a critical component in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, and other devices. The Salton Sea region has some of the world's largest lithium deposits, and a Department of Energy analysis estimates that the region could produce enough lithium for over 375 million electric vehicle batteries

[@The_Savage_Wombat]

@@bradhuffjr777 It would be expensive to separate the lithium from all the toxic waste. Other lithium deposits don't have this problem.

[@mikeguitar9769]

The lithium is probably in the ground from an ancient sea/brine. The salton sea is from river water and ag runoff.

[@MbisonBalrog]

There is lithium in fertilizer? The heck? Isn’t it toxic?

[@Alan_Hans__]

Sounds like a very similar to Australia's Murray River. It has a history of not making it to the ocean. Not sure if we have alfalfa growing there but there is enormous amounts of water going into rice crops and almond crops. A lot of both of these are for export and about 1000km downstream of where the rice and almonds are grown the river delta is dry and salty.

[@Partyman-ci2ts]

The Murray actually doesnt have a “not reaching the sea” problem at all. The Murray flows directly into a lake and that hasnt had an issue since 1981 where it got blocked. It does have a flow rate issue. There isnt enough water flowing into the lake that enough water flows out to the sea to stop sea water from flowing into the lake. Now for water usage, rice and cotton are huge users of water but are variable to rainfall, low rainfall and production goes down by 90%. The biggest consistent users of water are pastures and cerals like lucerne, fruit and nut production and wine production(grapevine). As well as cotton but water usage can fluctuate 80% down or 400% up based on the rainfall.

[@72marshflower15]

Almonds suck if you compare them to rambutan. You can eat the fruit, blanch and roast the seeds and they’re just like almonds.

[@chaysosaja56-24]

Rice uses much more water than alfalfa. because you have to flooded the bank where it grows

[@amk4956]

As a grain and cattle farmer in Nebraska it is hard to comprehend how much water is being wasted in the southwest. I’m not suggesting the Midwest agricultural system is more sustainable in the long run, but in the short run, at least we have adequate rainfall. Perhaps we could use a just transition to a post meet agricultural system starting with the ending of meat agriculture in the southwest just as a means to conserve water and to bolster our fruit,nut, and vegetable production

[@Fido-vm9zi]

Sounds smart. Needs business entrepreneurs.

[@sabine8419]

Industrial plant agriculture is the Problem!

[@chuckinshanks]

People will not give up meat.

[@amk4956]

@@sabine8419 no said it isn’t. Consolidation of any industry is a problem but the point being made is an environmental one not a social economic

[@gabetalks9275]

What we need is permaculture. Monoculture requires the overconsumption of water and the destruction of the ecosystem. Argroforestry is how the Native Americans grew crops for centuries before we arrived.

[@jdoggybizzle]

52 percent of the water is going to animal agriculture and people in the comments are arguing over water rights and other trivial bullshit. Everyone wants change until its time to leave animals off their plates.

[@Pink7omy]

Please revive the Colorado River. It is a beautiful river with very cold water. If this river disappears, we are doomed in this country.

[@vulcan4d]

We are not a smart race. Who the heck puts lush green golf courses in a dessert! We have a water crysis in the making.

[@johnperic6860]

Crisis* and yes, it isn't smart, though the golf courses are much less bad for the environment than the Alfalfa and Lettuce farms.

[@stormottr6059]

Your right, but the crisis started in the 80s...we are just now at the endgame.

[@nathanolds6863]

@@johnperic6860At least the Alfalfa is good for something, golf courses are completely useless.

[@AvangionQ]

Going to guess more people will focus replies on the two spelling errors than the truth of the message. (dessert/desert, crysis/crisis) There should be no golf courses in desert regions. We shouldn't be wasting water on anything unnecessary when it's in such short supply.

[@sageparis9495]

I cry, sis

[@WilhelmDrake]

Imagine if the river flowed the other way and Mexico had diverted all the water preventing it from reaching across the border into the US. The US would have considered it an act of war and invaded Mexico.

[@kmoses582]

Mexico gets 1.5 million acre feet per year

[@jul1440]

You don't have to imagine; it is happening exactly like that on the Rio Grande. People just don't realize that there are _two_ major river systems in the desert SW, both equally imperiled.

[@justicia_azul]

Yeah... The Rio Grande is starting to dry up, too. The Falcon Dam reservoir is starting to evaporate and reduce in size. One of the last sugarcane refineries in Texas just closed down this year. Those crops shouldn't have even been grown here in the first place, but what do you expect when wealthy outsiders establish these industries without thinking of the long-term consequences? Most of the guys that established farming here didn't even have knowledge of our biological province, and when that info came out, they just continued to put pressure on the environment.

[@jul1440]

@@justicia_azul So, too is Elephant Butte Reservoir, the "Lake Mead of the Rio Grande"; it is at 17%! The water there is not only used for deliveries to Texas and Mexico, but also to grow the famous Hatch green chiles in New Mexico that the nation is starting to get so fond of (as well as Europe and Japan). These chiles lose their flavor if you grow them in the wrong dirt or temperature or humidity or altitude and have been grown in the region since before Columbian times. The reservoir also provides power to the Hatch region.

[@cdineaglecollapsecenter4672]

Imagine if the State of Colorado put dams on all its borders. The South Platte, The North Platte, The Arkansas, the Colorado, the Rio Grande, all ours! I agree with your point about U.S. imperialism vis-a-vis Mexico.

[@aadesh_kale]

Thanks for digging deep into this complex topic. Truely gives more insight.

[@TheDanEdwards]

Sea level rise will make it all OBE. Much of the area shown in the video is but a few meters above current sea level, and the rest is already below sea level. A couple of meters of sea level rise, a high probability by the year 2200, and the current delta will be underwater, as will large areas of Imperial County.

[@Noobmaster69______________]

Reporter: “What happened?” Rodriguez: “We happened “ Me: 🤦🏻‍♂️ why do people ask questions that they already know the answers to.

[@quirinogarza7381]

They shouldn't penalize farmers who don't use all of their allotted water... Instead, reward them for coming up with new ways of conserving it... With the promise of adding more in the future if needed...

[@jadedjhypsi]

I am all too familiar with this river. I used to work at the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the bureaucracy behind this waterway is legendary!!!

[@wastedShaman]

Please elaborate.

[@jadedjhypsi]

@@wastedShaman This river was one of the first ever to get multiple states and entities together to write a contract for the use of the future water... with no real history or data to predict what kind of water will be coming down that river. There has been battles ever since deciding how the lack of flow will accommodate so many people that now rely upon it. For me the most insane reality is that because of this lack of foresight, these old agreements give California more rights over any water that originates in that river basin than Colorado does. =( There are montly meetings between several states and Mexico about how to survive going forward. It was one of the motivating factors that lead to The Colorado Water Plan , first of it´s kind 💕, which I was lucky enough to work on. I an free to chat more if ya wish... can DM from most socials if you don´t wanna continue here.

[@JerseyLynne]

They pump water uphill to the golf courses in Tucson. What a waste. They use the Colorado for ponds and water features in upscale housing in Nevada. I know, lets go to Mars.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

The rich people trying to get to Mars will figure out a way to pump Earth's fresh water all the way to Mars just to have water features.

[@Concorde1059]

As stupid and wasteful as they are, you could remove every golf course and water feature in the southwest and not even notice the difference. It's just a distraction to focus on that instead of what's really using the water.

[@icls9129]

I'm pretty sure all of the golf courses in Tucson use reclaimed water from the city.

[@The_Savage_Wombat]

Residential use and golf courses are insignificant compared to farming in the desert.

[@Fido-vm9zi]

​@@AnonymousFreakYT"Rich" isn't everything

[@CeruleanSky1111]

Where did all the water go? Golf courses, swimming pools, lawns, and agriculture...sucked it bone dry.

[@jul1440]

Air conditioners

[@JimmyMon666]

@@jul1440 air conditioners don't use water. Swamp coolers on the other hand...

[@jul1440]

@@JimmyMon666 "Swamp cooler" is just another term for evaporative air conditioner. You are probably thinking of refrigerated air/heat pumps, which do not use water, but use way more power. Those are not very common here.

[@xerlmx]

If the world would consume less meat, we would not need that much plants in the first place, because feedkng an animal to than eat it is extreamly inefficient. Sadly, the world is going the oposite direction, because more and more people around the world get access to the money needet for meat. Not that better living conditions in third world countrys are a bad thing, but more meat consumption is.

[@xpndblhero5170]

This is sad.... I remember it from the 80s before all those cities were built and its hard to believe it ended up like this. 😩😢

[@DRx1546]

I like Joe Hanson. Just the right amount of sarcasm and jokes.

[@bananas401k]

so many people are about to find out about our terrible water management laws

[@thomassaldana2465]

Well, I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again; it should be illegal to write any resource allocation system which engenders a "use it or lose it" attitude.

[@ChiewSaetern-ir7lk]

We need more current content like this PBS. 🙏 Thank you

[@javierfrutis3938]

You're talking about suspects but never say AMERICA KILLED the Colorado river

[@Hugo-h2u]

i love this content keep it up big man!!!

[@DanielLaneTheRealSigma]

Its so good! I 💖 this content

[@DanielLaneTheRealSigma]

I love this

[@jeremynielsen8013]

Don’t forget the rich families who have most of the water rights

[@danielpierce6108]

PGE and Edison own most of the water on the west coast lol

[@Rob-metoo527]

Because they're more likely to go to the polls and vote.

[@John-eq8cu]

I discovered that the Colorado goes dry into Mexico by following it on Google Maps one day. You can clearly see how it reduces down to a sandy wash soon after it crosses into Mexico. Sad also to see dry irrigation channels that would work if the river had any water in it. Although I knew that MX and the US had some agreement about how to share Colorado River water, it's also clear that the US uses basically all of it and doesn't leave any to Mexico in the end.

[@manuelericmijangos499]

Mexico should say no to desalinating water from the Sea of Cortez that AZ is already eying.

[@javierabrahamhernandezdiaz3846]

And it is not only the Colorado river, the same water hoarding happens with the Grande and Bravo rivers in the East side of the border.

[@hainleysimpson1507]

America fixing to steal even more Mexican territory.

[@snookmeister55]

First, the USA took the land from Mexico, then the water.

[@isaiah1065]

@@snookmeister55 Coca Cola actually owns all the water resources in Mexico

[@Stickbyme7727]

Excellent video. People need to know what's happening.

[@Epicbob-c2l]

This PBS video isn’t going to help. Full of Half truths and alarmism.

[@davidhill1911]

I’ve read once that the Colorado River was once one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Congress commission a U.S. army officer to go on an expedition in the 19th century and he came back and said that the west was a totally different country and shouldn’t be sold in square lots and that besides the Colorado River there wasn’t huge availability of water. Well they ignored him and then built the dams which destroy the beautiful canyons and ecosystems in them with beavers and all kinds of wildlife and now we’re here. We really should get rid of that alfalfa or at least punish them for leaving the water on. Just waste fraud and abuse at its finest. I saw a lot of it in the army as well.

[@thamiordragonheart8682]

I think working on water waste from evaporation and pipe leakage would be a good start. Las Vegas is actually a great example because they didn't really have a choice. The reservoirs and canals seem like a perfect place for floating solar because the southwest is so sunny, it would help with the evaporation problem, and it's a lot easier than trying to deploy floating solar in the ocean or on navigable waterways.

[@The_Savage_Wombat]

Make the farmers pay the same for water as the residents in Vegas and the problem would be instantly solved.

[@juqual78]

LV actually does a great job with water management. I was kind of shocked.

[@pawfan]

There you go making sense again!

[@thamiordragonheart8682]

@@The_Savage_Wombat yeah maybe the farmers should pay more, but turning river water that's suitable for farming into potable water, and then distributing it without contamination should cost more than just using the water for framing, so no, they shouldn't be paying the same rates as city water.

[@The_Savage_Wombat]

@@thamiordragonheart8682 Good point. But right now, residential rates can be more than 100 times what farmers pay for water from the Colorado. That seems excessive even if you factor in the cost of purification and distribution.

[@RisenThe]

PBS Terra has the most unique videos.

[@Epicbob-c2l]

Would hope that the others aren’t as propagandistic as this one.

[@GentlyUsedOreos]

The unfortunate education to do what you want versus what is needed that both benefits you and the environment is terrifying beyond comprehension.

[@hainleysimpson1507]

That mentality started with slavery. The people that benefitted from slavery then invented capitalism and started giving their slaves a wage.

[@juangil384]

Hey Joe!! What a beautiful chapter… alas the sad news

[@mah7961]

Just finished vacationing in Arizona for a couple of weeks. When I stopped in Yuma. I was amazed at all the farmland there. They were growing all sorts of crops in late October and early November. Like cabbage, soy, cotton, corn, sorghum etc. Apparently they have year round nice weather and get water from 2 sources the Colorado and the Gila River. That Gila River is not a particularly long river, but the state does rely on it for a number of reasons. Like most rivers its starts up in the mountains looking clean and pristine. In particular it starts up in the middle of mountains of the Gila national forest in New Mexico.

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

Pretty fucking grim, but hardly a surprise to anyone that knows even a little about the area, sadly.

[@giannidoro1598]

0:57 “It can fill 9.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools in 1 second” sums it up best.

[@prettypic444]

Southwestern American history drinking game: take a shot every time Americans ignore Mexico

[@nobody.of.importance]

No thanks, I want to live.

[@veitforabetterworld]

Can't do drinking game in Mexico, there's no water we could drink

[@АлексейГордеев-п1н]

USA give to Mexico 1.5 million acre-foot of Colorado water every year.

[@thomassaldana2465]

@@veitforabetterworld How about tequila?

[@TucsonTropicals]

Mexico don’t give a shit about the us. The us shouldn’t give a damn about any other country

[@Kosmopoli]

Great video! Thanks for sharing this with people. We all deserve tonunderstand our impact on ecosystems and our future.

[@brothermayihavesomeloops7048]

THANK YOU FOR SHEDDING LIGHT ON ANIMAL AGRICULTURE

[@phil20_20]

Piecemeal, we've been killing ourselves off. Now it's all coming together in one big crash. How can you have sympathy for deliberate stupidity?

[@liamthompson9342]

Such an incredible river. We simply don't have rivers like this in Australia.

[@abrqzx]

We have still lots of these rivers in the Philippines, well they are not going to deplete because we are always strucked by typhoons

[@stringpicker5468]

Murray Darling system and it is blighted by the same greed bullshit and overallocation. Cotton almonds rice none of which should be grown in dry country. But the minute you say anything the water thieves on the Darling scream and the National Party throws a hissy fit.

[@tomholroyd7519]

We don't need that many almonds

[@ocskywatch1]

they are sold world wide

[@MbisonBalrog]

@@ocskywatch1let rest of countries make own. I know not cool cuz some one not get rich but nat resources finite. Must have limit on wealth.

[@sdtayw]

Or that many cows! Stop eating the unhealthy beef!

[@cameronf3343]

Livestock animals in the Southwest do more damage to the water table than almonds could ever possibly aspire to in the next 1,000 years.

[@trinydex]

​@@MbisonBalrogthis is the most obstructionist viewpoint. people shouldn't live either, then there would be so much more natural resources.

[@patrickmcbride3611]

What a concise presentation! How to mobilize collective concern on such a clear issue?

[@jordanhellen4120]

"Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, it's a straw, you see? Watch it. Now my straw reaches across the room and starts to drink your milkshake. I... drink... your... milkshake. I drink it up!"

[@saucywench9122]

Lol!😂

[@WallaceStegner-e7r]

There will be blood, one of the most revealing movies about the petroleum industry ever!

[@stevesmith-sb2df]

I drove from Estes to where US-34 crosses the Colorado river and was surprised how small the river looked.

[@nathanolds6863]

That doesn’t have much to do with this. The river starts pretty small up there. Colorado doesn’t take much water from the river anyways.

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

You saw it when it before it converged with most of its tributaries. That said, I don't agree with the comment that Colorado is an uninterested party. Denver gets 50% of its water from the Colorado basin and the rest from the Platte (water rights fights with Nebraska involving graveyards and canals).

[@davevandenberg9911]

Good golly, it is call headwaters. They all start as trickles high in the mountains.

[@愛莎-l4w]

Ecosystem-Friendly ideas Marine Life-Friendly design👍

[@rubenlopez5433]

Great video!

[@DerekDuror]

There's an ancient indian proverb: You can't eat or drink MonEye since they're just 0's and 1's in a computer...

[@JoviaI1]

To quote King of the Hill, Pheonix Arizona is a "testament to man's arrogance"

[@academicpandemic]

Whelp, this episode leaves me with zero hope for the future. The profit motive will only die when humanity dies.

[@basedoz5745]

It’s not just the profit motive, notice how they say “you may think this will end up as produce on your dinner table” but immediately switch to blaming exports? As if the overuse is okay as long as it feeds people, meanwhile there are plenty of other states that could support this level of agriculture use of water. Yuma Arizona provides a majority of the leafy greens for the country during the winter months. Then the big AG propaganda comes in and fear mongers that people won’t eat if they can’t farm in these specific (very cheap water) areas.

[@johnperic6860]

@@basedoz5745 What's worse is that the Colorado River Basin only produces something like 5% of the nation's Alfala. There are small counties in Iowa that produce more Alfalfa than the entire Colorado River Basin but with relatively little impact on the environment. So we're destroying one of the world's most important and unique rivers to produce a crop that could be produced cheaper and with far less environmental impact in Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, or Mississippi.

[@Epicbob-c2l]

​@@johnperic6860 I take it you’re not a farmer

[@jerrycallender9352]

I've crossed from Yuma into and out of California more times than I can remember from the mid-1980's thru the late-1990's and NEVER saw water in the river's bed.

[@brandnewyou5254]

What an educational video from both sides of the camera

[@ecurewitz]

Those reservoirs and canals should be shaded to prevent evaporation

[@Hansulf]

Solar PV over channels

[@teebob21]

@@Hansulf Connected to what grid? There isn't any infrastructure to connect a solar generation system to, for most of the CAP canal.

[@Hansulf]

@@teebob21 Run a power line alongside the channel, put an inverter every 500m or so... Yeah, infrastructure needs to be built, as it has always been.

[@kallehalvarsson5808]

@@teebob21 The reservoir is by definition next to a dam, which is, ideally, connected to the power grid. Not saying it's a great idea, but this is a silly counterargument.

[@teebob21]

@@kallehalvarsson5808 Please show me on a map where there is a reservoir on the Central Arizona Project canal with a hydroelectric dam or substation.

[@funnybeingme]

Great video. Pretty soon in the No. 6 are all these computer servers that needs water for cooling for cloud storage, AI computation and don't forget any Bitcoin related stuff.

[@tomoki-v6o]

aggree

[@RonaldPetrin]

Exchange between water and river riparian zones. Water retention is key.

[@judedoc1347]

This story looks like the disaster of the Aral Sea in USSR. Good thing that the ocean is in the California gulf, because it would have dried up just like that sea.

[@ethanzapach]

Climate Town released a great video on this topic about 2 months ago. It's called "Who's Taking America's Water?" and I'd highly recommend checking it out.

[@michaelfokias]

indeed, a much more detailed video

[@michaeldufresne9428]

It is so stupid that there isn't a concerted effort solve this problem

[@specter0023]

Look at everything the government has deemed a threat that we need to domestically declare war on. War on crime, war on drugs, etc. It all stuff that can generate money. That’s what’s it’s all about. There’s no money to be made here…

[@Epicbob-c2l]

. A problem that does need to be addressed is junior water right holders( LA and Tucson) dumping water in the ground rather than leaving it in the river system ie Mead and Powell. Approximately 7 million acft. To date. Senior right holders look the other way as does the Fed.

[@dalton9493]

We have to figure out abortion first. Keep your priorities strait.

[@hmhmoinsdk]

River ecosystems being portrayed as "taking" the water out of the river is weird ... that's like saying a river emptying into the ocean means the ocean takes the riverwater away

[@qarljohnson4971]

Yeah, PBS really pooped the bed in this specific point in such an astonishingly classic Capitalist POV. Just another reason why you can't run a "public" broadcast on corporate donations. Remember, PBS= Petroleum Broadcast System.

[@28704joe]

He was referencing "Oases" , the small areas areas designated as protected ecosystems, not the entire length of the river

[@hmhmoinsdk]

​@@28704joe maybe i am not familiar with the spcifics of those oasis - but: if a river forms a natural wetland on its course i dont see how that would be "taking" water from the river - it is not uncommon for rivers to spawn wetlands in their vicinity there are specific ecosystems like that - e.g. alluvial forests

[@28704joe]

@@hmhmoinsdk I interpreted it as so much broad slow running water being exposed to evaporation and being soaked up to go to aquafers'

[@28704joe]

@@qarljohnson4971 Sounds like someone here is wanting to defund Public Broadcasting and let corporations control the narrative.

[@kidmohair8151]

you left one culprit off your list. an outdated, like the water policies, socio-economic system, that has stratified into something that very closely resembles the feudalism, it claimed it was replacing.

[@MichaelfromtheGraves]

you have an odd use of the return key

[@kidmohair8151]

@@MichaelfromtheGraves that'll be the tube'y'all, and the sizing it imposes combined with the window size you employ. there's not much i can do about that.

[@petehoney1]

great summary .. US needs to reflect on this and work to improve the situation

[@mikaelwester]

Good balance between depressing facts and some possible solutions at the end.

[@NawDawgTheRazor]

Having seen in person the headwaters of this noble river in the majestic Rockies, this offends me greatly, especially the Imperial Valley farming.

[@Epicbob-c2l]

Imperial Valley was formed when no one else cared about the the Colorado river.

[@NawDawgTheRazor]

@@Epicbob-c2l well now we know better, so it should be un-formed.

[@JerseyLynne]

So sad to see. Go to Mars? Feed the people and repair the earth first, if we are that smart.

[@jamesroof6150]

Humans killed it.

[@lebronjamesfromdwade4103]

Greedy humans* Not everyone is responsible for a small collective’s mistakes.

[@DavidRamos-sr8cx]

Journalist: "What happened?" Victor: "We happened".

[@szilveszterhegedus481]

Amazing, thank you for sharing!

[@sabine8419]

It isn't the cattle, it's how they're raised, that's the problem. Properly managed cattle raised on grass will enhance the land and the water cycle. There are cattle breeds, that manage well in these arid areas. Cattle per se are not to blame. Industrialized monocrop plant agriculture is extremely destructive.

[@lebronjamesfromdwade4103]

You missed the part where the alfalfa grown in these areas is shipped to OTHER countries cattle, not even used for our own. We need updated legislation and regulations to fix this.

[@DownEastSaw]

Scary fact number 1 “we are allowed to take out 5 trillion gallons”. 2:47

[@justsomeguy6474]

Farmers killed the Colorado River.

[@iseeblood209]

No, more like building one of the biggest cities in the country in the middle of the desert. No not vegas. LA

[@johnperic6860]

@@iseeblood209 Alfa in the Southwest consumes something like 2 times more water than every single city in the Southwest combined. Enough water is used to grow alfalfa to sustain the city of Phoenix several times over. And unlike human beings, you can get rid of all alfalfa production in the South West with little harm to the general populace or nation as a whole.

[@iseeblood209]

@@johnperic6860 you make a very good point..Great input i agree

WE ENORED PLANT .WE DID IT!

[@justsomeguy6474]

@@iseeblood209 83% of the Colorado water is used for agriculture. This is literally covered in the video.

[@Nphen]

Look into saltwater marshes for the delta restoration. Crops known as halophytes, or salt tolerant plants can grow in the ocean water, and help build up soil, while providing food, bird habitat, and ocean habitat. The crops can be harvested several times per year without being replanted, and still act as a wildlife refuge. It's a win/win/win.

[@guillermodcv5717]

Thanks for the video and all you do. Appreciate it. Side note: putting the wetlands as a "suspect" did not make any sense whatsoever.

[@An_Economist_Plays]

An example of market failure in capitalism.

[@pavanc2641]

7:25 - "fair share"?

[@Robinwhiteart]

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” ― Albert Einstein

[@cliotio6434]

CarbonCowboys has videos where they speak to some US farmers about better ways to manage our agricultural needs while maintaining the ecosystem! The people who work to feed people globally want to see better management and a cleaner, greener planet and I think it's another really helpful perspective

[@daviddohman8418]

And yet, no human died of thirst in the making of this interesting documentary.

[@samuelmcbride9797]

Animal agriculture? Low effort of regulation?

[@Andre-qo5ek]

i feel some things we real real need are: 1) efficient, sustainable, and ecologically achievable energy generation 2) energy storage 3) material science to develop things in extreme conditions ( wet, salt water, cold, heat, dry/drought, space, the moon/dusty ) 4) a paradigm shift from consumption to stewardship.

[@BigSnipp]

Businesses are too poweful to change anything. We're screwed.