The Vanishing River: USA's Mega Drought | Foreign Correspondent
The once mighty Colorado River is in trouble. Stretching from the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains all the way down to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, its’ waters are a lifeline to tens of millions of people. Subscribe: ab.co/3yqPOZ5
But the pressures of the decades-long megadrought in America’s Southwest and a warming planet mean the water levels in the river and its dams are dropping.
“I’m not going to say it’s too late, but we are in true crisis’, says renowned river scientist, Professor Jack Schmidt.
The pressures on the river are largely man-made.
The building of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s tamed the waters of this once wild river, harnessing its flows to make hydropower and feed a massive agricultural industry across the Southwest.
But the water was over allocated from the start. Now as dam levels drop to their lowest ever, the survival of farms and industries are threatened.
‘I feel every day of my life that my son will not be able to share in this magnificence …and the beauty of this profession’, says Jace Miller, an Arizona farmer of five generations.
He grows feed for livestock, but next year, his water allocation will be cut to zero.
US correspondent Barbara Miller travels along this spectacular river to meet the communities whose livelihoods depend on it.
Miller rafts down the Colorado rapids with the Native American tribe which depends on tourism for a dollar.
She visits the thriving desert city of Las Vegas, which has become a US leader in urban water conservation.
And there’s a silver lining. As waters in the dam reservoirs recede, natural wonders which were flooded for decades are emerging.
‘We’re seeing this flowing waterfall and this trickling creek. We’re seeing the vegetation start to come back’, says environmentalist Eric Balken.
The vanishing river is a wake-up call for all those who depend on it.
‘We just pretended the Colorado River is just a check account’, says Professor Schmidt. ‘There are gonna be limits…and we’re gonna have to deal with them.’
Read more here: ab.co/3QFuULD
About Foreign Correspondent:
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This is the definition of insanity. You know you have a water problem but you still keep building new homes.
Agreed. I live in Phoenix, and I'm tired of seeing the waste. People don't get it. However, the developer barons won't stop paying city and state officials off and let anything get in the way of their profit. It's sickening. I'm pretty sure these development companies are banking on the fact that most prospective residents don't know about this looming crisis. They sure as shit aren't telling those prospective residents there's any problem on the horizon. I love Phoenix, and I've been here almost 30 years. I'm saddened to be telling my wife we need to get out in the next year, or we may be forced to leave in 5 years with no equity, nothing to our names...
@@julm7744 Well, that's what many keep saying. It's too big to fail, or for it to be possible to fail. The Titanic was, too. Our hubris is going to catch up to us in this region. Those technologies you mention are not up to the task, and any technological intervention needed to be started a while ago. Like 20 years ago. Desalination is the only real route out of this one, if you'd watched the video, Pat mentions this. We can't conserve our way out of this problem. Uh, yeah... It's not a liberal media problem, nor am I liberal... But way to politicize it. That's how our politicians keep getting away with robbing us blind and doing nothing. Left keeps blaming the right, and the right keeps blaming the left. Additionally, You can deny climate change all you wish; you and I won't be around to see the profound effects. Our children and grandchildren will. We'll just live to see the immediate smaller effects like these. Sorry dude, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm only matching your tone in your response. Condescending, and really pointless. The issues are far more complex than you realize. Anyway.....
@@PilatusTurbo Well, timing is everything. Hope you make that 200K, if that is your goal. I'm going to get some push on this.
Completely agree. This desert area can boast they have more heads in the sand than cactus! I would have expected to see plans at the federal and state levels for water replenishment already in high gear at least five years ago... yet so far, nothing major to speak of. Considering how modern government works, they'll probably start working in earnest on the project when the lights in Vegas start flickering out....
@@Jeff-jg7jh don't even understand your comment. Sorry.
Never underestimate the ability of the American people to deny the reality hiding in plain sight.
Don't leave out the Soviets!
How embarrassing that the states are fighting for golf courses and new housing developments when the tribes don't even have running water. I'd like to see people in those developments haul their water and boil it every day and see how long that lasts.
Yeah, the Hopi and Zuni live in very traditional small communities on incredibly remote mesas of the Colorado Plateau where they zealously guard their way of life established 700 years ago. Ditto the vast Navajo Nation that migrated into the area much later that surrounds them who farm along canyon streams and about half live in traditional homes and villages accessed with difficulty over mostly unpaved roads. There are small towns with modern city services. If many tribal members choose not to live in towns, but in a location where they can't access either surface water, or drill a well for groundwater, they do so by their own free will. If you choose to live in a beautiful wilderness 20 or 30 miles from civilization completely off grid, and in tribal council vote to keep it off grid, you are NOT being denied running water by some heartless greedy oppressive adversary.
@@focusfrost9856 Did you watch the video? Natives were excluded from water access in the original contract between the states to share water. The Natives were forced into reservations where there is still no infrastructure. So America could build towns and cities in their native grounds, Natives were told to go to the res or not get benefits, lose their children, get no land, and then denied essentials on the reservations such as water. Most Natives don't even have physical addresses on the reservations, which were set up by the government and prevents Natives from voting in elections. When people are worried about keeping their lawns and golf courses green while Natives have to haul drinking water to homes they were forced into, that is oppression.
I wonder if that person is really living in a house with no water. He probably has his pocket lined by lobbied money
It’s not just the tribes a lot of rural houses have their taps shut off while all the farms use copious amounts of water. One huge problem is the recent grand of growing almond trees which take eye watering amounts of water to grow.
The water runs 500' below the surface in much of western New Mexico. No matter who lives there they have water brought in.
The desert was Never meant to be farmed or lived in such a unsustainable way. People wake up!
exact! and they made las vegas in the desert what they put such a city in the desert in lasvegas for wasting a lot of water because people want to have green grass on the sand.
But here comes these news stations for more fearmongering nonsense! MEGA DROUGHT!!! LOL!!!
Who told you that
"It's not the American way to deal with limits." Sounds about right.
Perfectly summed up lol
Moreover, as many world leaders have noticed over the last 1.5 centuries: "The Americans will definitely do the right thing ... after they have tried everything else and F'd everything up beyond repair." No limits to the destruction which has and will continue to be done.
What do you two mean? When no limits are imposed on people, people tend to bleed things to death out of ignorance, laziness, greed, etc. Not limiting things is just plain stupid.
@@GlennsFastReviews cause "Land of the Free", free to exploit and plunder until nothing left then move to new location "rinse and repeat"!
@@AshrakAhmed Agreed, but that is a global phenomenon that been done by the rich for millennia. And almost nothing stops them.
Hard to believe a desert can't support 40 million people and CA agriculture anymore
That desert was an ocean once.
Did you count all of the illegal migrants? Better start over with 40,000 Juan Sanchez. That's okay though they are doing jobs that nobody else will do so that they can buy the food they make. Wait how does that work, you mean they are not robots that run on electricity? So illegal migrants have to eat food? Next, Juan Valdez. Juan Valdez please line up for a free hand out. Juan Valdez. NEXT!
Nice 1
The desert never did. And the droughts and mega droughts have occurred every few hundred years for at least a million years per the geologic and fossil record. That record was unknown to the early settlers. Notice that the Colorado volume being much lower and continually dropping is NOT because the populations are taking more water out, though they do use more of the water that goes to them. The volume of the reservoirs and river is lower because less water from the source watershed in the Rockies is coming in. Remember that there was the Medieval Warm Period and then the recent Little Ice Age (16th to the 19th centuries or 1300 to 1850). The tremendous 6 year heat wave over North America in the 1930's saw consistent high temperatures across the continent we have never re-experienced since, but surely will eventually, with or without climate change. When that happens, wild and domestic plants, wild and domestic animals, and people will either cope or perish. Nature at work is awesome.
Glad i live in Canada 🇨🇦 and also..I love ❤️ that Night Ranger song 🎵 Don't tell me you love me $$
Los Vegas leaders in their wisdom just restricted the size of NEW swimming pools. Phoenix leaders in their finest moment issued 21,000+ building permits in 2021.
You did a better job covering this than most of the local news has. Good job.
Local news don't want to say anything that'll lower property values
Foreign correspondents always know more than the locals. Especially when a big corporation is trying to control a natural resource
It's almost like the region isn't designed for this type of living.
Never was
Haha, the irony is great isn't it.
Truly amazing they managed to harness that great river. Would they have done it if they knew what was coming? I think they would not have cared to believe it.
That's like saying Denver is on the wrong side of the Rockies. Take away its transbasin water diversions and it technically has a smaller water supply than Vegas 🤔
Almost
I'm 78 and have lived in the same Utah town all my life. I remember the wonders of a wild Colorado River. I remember dense, clean fog from the Great Salt Lake. I remember how even in dry years the orchards and large vegetable gardens thrived and water went out to the wildlife refuges and the lake. The air was clean. Then the deluge of people came and all the beauty, prosperity and quiet gave way to "Growth" and the clean desert became polluted and paved over. The Great Salt Lake is nearly gone and toxic everything has replaced it. It makes me very sad but I have faith in nature. Nothing is forever just as a cloud never dies.
Thank you for your comment. It is both beautiful and sad.
You can't take out more than you put in. Humans will destroy themselves and nature will take over once again.
Time for you to kick the bucket.
@@deviouspirate1374 lol.
Are you native American?
I read recently that California and Arizona might be looking to "purchase power" from PGE here in OREGON. This will put pressure on OUR water systems, and our River systems. I think this is foolish. My sister and I do some heavy conservation in our own home to keep our electric bill down--and we use a lot of battery powered lighting, and modified our diets to more vegetarianism. Cattle, pigs, and such takes much more water and energy to raise than for crops. WE need to use less water while showering. I am allergic to chlorine, so I cannot even take a shower. I physically take sink baths. Every 6 weeks I use 1-2 gallons of water to wash my hair. Every three to four days I use about one quart of water to take a sink bath! I do not stink. Been doing this now for 2 years. WE no longer use a dishwasher, but use same utensils all day. WE each have ONE plate, one cup for all day. I have to get WELL WATER from my church for cleaning and washing. We live like the pioneers did in the old days. WE use much less water. I think all these conveniences use too much water, and we get too spoiled.
PGE has been selling the hydroelectric power from Oregon generated by the massive Columbia Bonneville, Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams, built by the United States in the 1930's by an act of Congress and administered by the Bonneville Power Administration to California and the other Western states for 90 years on the open market and through contracts with individual private power companies. Oregon didn't build the dams or generators, and doesn't maintain them and doesn't own the power. The USA does. Oregon has however benefited from abundant, clean, renewable and cheap electricity for 90 years because of the blessings of the Columbia River and American engineering expertise.
while you are using dirty utensils, rich people in California are watering their golf courses and growing water-hungry crops in the desert. You need to speak up instead of silently suffering
Greed eats up up every Damned thing!
Now we're talking.
Large agricultural systems and huge golf courses were NEVER meant to be placed in a DESERT!
You realize all of humanity came from Africa, right? Taming deserts with irrigation and agriculture so we could have food all year is one of the key parts of human achievement. Making use out of deserts gives us the chance to grow and inhabit the areas outside of deserts. Stop blaming agriculture. You are more correct in blaming the golf courses like you did, and you should blame suburbs too, and any other watering of untilled earth not being used to grow food.
@@NiminaeOld You realize the number of humans was a mere fraction of 1% of what they are now.
@@x5775 Right, and we were able to grow because of agriculture
Maybe stupid Humans weren't supposed to Inhabit a beautiful Planet, either?
@@NiminaeOld Native Americans flourished on this continent for thousands of years before the Christian Capitalists invaded. Now, we nearly 10 billion Earthlings are all an endangered species. See any problems, here?
The region is going to have to learn live within it's means.
Interesting; farmers that support our lives put behind cities who want to keep watering lawns… pretty crazy.
... and swimming pools, golf courses!
My backyard is farmed by an unknown farmer who harvests 4 crops of alfalfa every year. That's so Humans can remain carnivores, you know? I can hear the clicking of the irrigation system every day until the snow falls, if it does.
A huge amount of those four-legged equine lawn ornaments owned by the rich also use up vast amounts of water without doing anything more productive than turning feed to fertilizer when the feed could be used to produce human food.
@@rltreasure I think even one million might be an exaggeration. How many have pools, one in 50 people maybe? Poor neighborhoods maybe one in 500; one in five for the high class communities? A pool itself does not necessarily waste that much water although most probably do. Massive private landscaping takes vast amounts more because it is daily watering. Pools can (idk about should - depends on the extreme) be regulated such that only public pools ok when water is low to moderate with private pool fill-ups only allowed when water is sufficiently abundant. It can be regulated by permits the way that burning brushpiles in places requires permits that vary every year based on climate conditions.
@@Diana1000Smiles But I like eating meat.
I live in Arizona this report does a tremendous job in illustrating the water and power issues we’re dealing with. Thank You
Except it doesn't.......anyone that lives in Arizona will tell you that there isn't a water problem.
My wife and I have been going down to this area since 1989. When we first went down to Las Vegas and travelled out to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead it was mind blowing all that water in the desert. Over the years we have travelled all over the south west from San Diego to the Grand Canyon and seen the growth in the cities and towns but what amazed me was the development and extent of the farming in this area. Two years ago we travelled from Las Vegas to Nogales stopping at Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Lake Havasu and couldn't believe the drop in water levels. Viewing this video reaffirms what I often wondered, how this could be sustainable. The Arizona area use to sustain a large population of Native Americans that had a well developed society with canals and water control that disappeared. It was suspected that there was an extended period of drought that caused the society to collapse. Seems history is repeating itself. I hope the people in this area can come to grips with the fact that living within the environment and not controlling it will be the answer to this dilemma.
You are 100% correct. To make matters WORSE, Arizona farms ALFALFA...one of the MOST water consumptive crops EVER😠
They also farm that on sand with high evaporation .
Vegas & Palm Springs hav the huge UG aquifers (i hav fam high up in the water dist). Water is plentiful, Billionaire's will keep their lush landscaping, pools & fountains. Its the worker that has to pay more. Every decade the "drought" strikes & we pay more in taxes & rates & the water cometh. They are really squeezing this time, im thinking utilities will triple, maybe quadruple. They are tearing down dams (our Insurance) & wont let the desalination plants run. Critical thinker... why?
People must look at the head waters of the Colorado River. They have been diverted. They did this to grow corn in Colorado. One of the highest water dependent crops around. What do we use it for? Fuel!!!! We are trying to grow our way out of the climate change. Drilling is bad but we can take water away from cities. Cities use a small portion of the water. Stop the high use of water to grow fuel. BTW Phoenix has, for the most part, their own water system. Most of those dams are at high capacity, 70% or more. They currently have no water problem. Tucson on the other hand is in trouble. The problem is the government. They created the problem and we expect them to fix it?
@@william-fla-321 Guess you never lived in AZ. More clay than sand. Not all deserts are sand.
The US south west has seen the collapse of previous civilisations leaving the ruins of their towns. Phoenix and Las Vegas may join them as ruins.
The crazy part that many people don't realize is that Las Vegas is one of the most water-efficient cities in the world. Most of the water that gets used is treated and sent back to Lake Mead. The primary source of water loss is evaporation (which is inevitable and can't be stopped).
Will* - time.
@@tacocruiser4238 But even with a good recycling system, it uses far more than nature can provide. In spite of this, the city keeps building more hotels, more casinos, more houses. And all of this in an area of several states who do the same, it's like going to the cliff edge faster and faster, instead of slowing down + stop + return to a sustainable situation.
@@julm7744 Every civilisation has thought of itself as immune to what has happened to the ones before it. Every civilsation believes itself to be exceptional, and then they go. The greater complexity of the American civilisation builds in vulnerability, not resilience. The American civilisation has more contingencies and therefore more things which can go wrong.
@@julm7744 The US is not the most developed and intelligent. European countries are much more developed and intelligent. The US infrastructure is literally crumbling everywhere. You are a prime example of someone who needs to get a passport and do some traveling. Your mind will be blown. Unfortunately also your heart and pride will be broken as a result, when you're faced with the fact that the US just does not come close to being a nice place compared to many other countries. This is coming from an ex-military Texan.
I'm a Utahn and I 100% believe we can and must cut water usage but those who agree with me on that are still being outnumbered by the suits greedy for more growth. Even the Salt Lake is disappearing. This can't continue.
3 million Afghan refugees are coming to USA.
@@deviouspirate1374 Already a couple of million from Latin America over the s/w border . . .
@@EllieMaes-Grandad In the last 18 months you mean. May of 2022 over 100,000 crossed illegally, and that was an average month for this year. More than 13 million just since 2008. That's not migration, that's an invasion.Close the border.
@@focusfrost9856 UK has such a problem, but smaller numbers (into a smaller country). Demographically, you may be near (or past) a tipping point as they'll vote DemonRat.
ask califnornia to stop wasting billions of gallons of water on avocados and almonds in the freaking desert. For starters.
This drought makes me sad even though I'm far away from the area. Thanks for the great video.
It was a pleasure getting to speak with Barbara in regards to this water issue that is crippling the southwest. The more people are informed the quicker we can find solutions that help all of us here in the southwest.
Your so far from being one with the land it's ridiculous. Your flood irrigated land in the desert isn't going to last.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This land in the southwest has been flood irrigated for thousands of years by indigenous native populations long before my family came here to farm. We’ve adopted minimum till and no till practices as well as drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation to make better use of our land. Some of the best producing agriculture centers of the world have been in arid climates.
@@jacemillertriplemfarmsaz5019 The native people knew how to rain dance back then... Maybe ask the true land owners for some help.
@@wayneallen9192 Considering that I happen to be a member of the Choctaw Nation , and work closely with the Great Gila River tribal community where we also farm your recommendation is noted.
@@jacemillertriplemfarmsaz5019 In Ireland there is a monument to the generosity of the tribal members. It is a reminder of the human connection of one people to another. It is an array of nine eagle feathers 20 feet tall. When the Irish were starving to death in 1847 the tribe sent help to the Irish. That gift is still remembered today.
I try to conserve water to the best of my ability. I'm realizing how precious it is.
Water is more precious than gold, already.
Could always move to Siberia...Lake Baikal has 20% of the worlds unfrozen fresh water.
I got to the part where the farmer said 'name me that crop and I will plant it' Hemp, the answer is hemp, takes less water, has a higher yield and the seeds can be processed on site to make diesel fuel to run the farm equipment, with a likely surplus that can be on sold to cut transport costs. The only thing stopping this is it is pest resistant and grows better than the weeds, so nobody can sell the farmer round up. Given that the seed stock is non terminating there will be no sales for seed stock. The other problem is that it makes cheap acid bleach free paper, so less requirement for chemical companies to pump dioxins (a 'forever' chemical) into rivers and the general food supply. Think of the bottom line of the massive corporations that profit from this. Think of the poor billionaires and the politicians they pay for. Imagine what would happen to them if the bizarre ban on hemp was lifted.
Excellent sarcasm and irony about the pollutants and profiteering oligarchs. The crops the farmer grows are for animal and human consumption. Can people or horses, cows, goats, or sheep eat hemp? Not sure growing a crop for paper is better than growing one for food when millions in the Horn of Africa are currently experiencing famine, and millions more worldwide were thrown into near-famine food insecurity by the Covid lockdowns. For awhile anyway, until the crushed crickets are better incorporated into the pet and people foods and ramp up more their capacities and efficiencies and figure out how to remove the parasites and toxins, he should keep farming natural foods those species are evolved to process.
Yep
Similar situation in Australia with water hungry cotton.
Maybe but who is buying hemp in 2022 lmao
Unfortunately, you can't live off of hemp. The main culprit is avocados and almonds, which just happen to be the staple of every vegan climate change band wagoner. The state of California bought 3.5 billion pounds of excess almond production to falsely prop up prices. It takes 1 gallon of water to grow one almond. How many almonds are in a pound? That is potentially 300billion gallons of water wasted.
Sadly, after 30 years, I sold my mom's house (she passed) in Phoenix to go to sustainable land and water (also where rain harvest is good) with lakes, natural springs, rivers, etc- a place of refuge for my family to follow. I figured most people put their head in the sand regarding the water crisis until it was all over the news. Once it is all over the news, this can make it difficult to move. Who wants to live where there is no water? I was called rash but now as a creek runs through my acres (which cost way less than a house in Phoenix or up north even) with deer and wild turkeys too, I'm thinking I made a good move. I also considered out of the city and less than national average crime rate in constitutional country.
Aren't you special.
@@Diana1000Smiles No I put my nose to grindstone to become both biologist and hydrologist. Think for yourself.
@@rayray9383 Good for ministry 👍and hopefully like minded people
Nice! Truly a blessing and I am very happy for you :)
thank god, in a f desert, she wasn't under one of those corrugated tin roofs reserved for the people who get food to the rest of what we call America. Hot dog! thank god hot dog! Yep v sadly! the local fckers of the world
I posted a comment last night that seems to have disappeared. If I am duplicating I am sorry. It was meaningful to me and I feel needs be said. In the late 60s a film maker and park ranger shared a film he made of a beautiful place that was about to be drowned, he told us, forever. Sadly he told us that it was to be dammed (damned?) by greedy people who didn't care about the future of such places if they could have their lake. (Powell?) Could this be the place shown toward the end of this film? Is nature going to have a chance to take it back? Maybe some good will come from all this. Hopefully our friend Art Kidwell who hiked in to make his beautiful film can get some satisfaction, although at a terrible loss. I hope they let this area come back. We need places like that more than lakes to boat on. The drought is terrible but perhaps some lessons can be learned from all this. I'm old now and may not have all the details, but I wanted Art's story to be told.
Why not tell us the name of the film or the director so we can do a search and watch it?
Some of those scenes with the Red cliffs remind me of the exact same scenery on the Murray River in South Australia
Yes beautiful place down there flooding in places now
The Murray cliffs whilst beautiful, are no where near as big.
I moved to Southern California in 2010 from the South East, I was blown away by how many people lived there and took water for granted. In just 3 years water was being rationed, grass being replaced by desert landscape. I saw a big crack on the wall and moved back near the mountains of NC. Before I moved I visited the Hoover Dam, in 2012, it freaked me out then, I can’t imagine what will happen when the Dam goes Deadpool, because it will. As beautiful as the desert is, it’s no place to live. If you live in the Western states get out now. It may be only another 10 years or less, but There will be a mass migration from California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah to name a few, your homes will drop in value overnight. The Government should have started building Desalination Plants in the 1960s. To late now, the Salton Sea is a good example of an inland Sea, a nightmare. I would sell now & move east of the Mississippi River, stay way from Florida & Louisiana and the Coast. Good Luck.
Actually Arizona doesn't have a water problem......they don't even attempt to capture any of the billions of gallons of water from the monsoon season.........this year has been one of the wettest ever.
After 42 years living in Arizona, we moved in December to Michigan. The Great Lakes contain 21% of the World’s fresh water. That’s correct- 21% of Earth’s fresh water. In Arizona there’s a saying: “People fight over whiskey, but go to war over water.”
@@davidanderson8243 hahahahahaha
@@davidanderson8243 hahahahaha!
Exactly!!!
Living in Baja California, Mx we are facing all these same insane issues in the northern state. This is not a recent crisis, it has been heading this way for a long time. Now state of California people are moving here being pushed out of that state. Rapid development is still going strong and we know there will not be enough water, as we are facing cuts along with everyone else. The Great River use to flow into Mexico and the Gulf of California. No longer. Insane, greed and believing the developers fantasy.
Did you know that the residents of Mexico City use the most water per capita of any major city in the world?
@@edsloan8535 No I did not know that. However, I live in Baja California, Mx City is like the other side side of the planet from us, culturally and in every other way. The Ancient built on a swamp, so maybe they have good deep aquafers. Here in Baja we share the river water with the US as I said above. Do you know that . Actor Sylvester Stallone’s estate in LA has been receiving Notices of Exceedance, because the estate used 533% over the allocated budget which is an excess of 230,000 gallons per month. It has always be a have and a have not and it always will be. I am just so grateful that finally people are talking about this. I've been writing about it since 2007. I am very grateful for everyone getting the word out. I will be using this video because of its excellent presentation from Australia.
@@bodhimartina6985 Did you know that California bought 3.5billion pounds of excess almonds to prop market prices? It takes 1 gallon of water to grow one almond and say 100 almonds in a pound. That means 350billion gallons of water were used on a crop no one even needed.
@@edsloan8535 Yes, I did know that. That is why as a journalist in Baja, I am watching California closely, because anything that happens or doesn't happen up there, will effect us down here. More cuts are coming for us in 2023. But some bizarre "grandfathering" has not yet forced CA to share the cuts.
We are a country of convenience. We like cheap food and availability of summer foods in the winter. We are absolutely not the tough people of our past. I think the next generation will have to be much tougher to survive.
USA is done, China will now run the world
I remember at our family business we had to by tomato paste in 55gallon drums year-round because it was only processed one time a year by Stanislaus.
You gonna have to be real tough when you are trying to eat your dirt sandwich!😁
The 1880's Karl Benz engine was getting slightly old. Maybe it's time to do something else if everyone's sensitive constitution can handle it.
Vegas is crazy! was just there on the weekend and new construction is like 70% in progress
Don't worry, with inflation on all the costs of construction now at 18% in 2022, and supply chain issues creating chaos and delaying projects, home prices are unaffordable, and then due to interest rates also increasing due to inflation, fewer and fewer people can buy a home, which is intentional. The construction of single family homes, i.e. suburbia has declined 6% per month throughout the peak building season, and commercial construction 5% for office, factory, warehouse and infrastructure projects. Just as the millions of "Shovel Ready Jobs" overseen by then VP Biden for the 2009 Stimulus that cost the taxpayers billions that we haven't paid off yet never materialized and never had any effect on the crumbling infrastructure, the new multi-trillion dollar boondoggle is supposed to fund infrastructure construction and repair and maintenance jobs that also won't materialize, but will make many political donors even more millions.
Respect nature! Respect the water! Respect your body! Respect your creator.
Great video, thanks for posting, this should be a required watch in those areas! The most disgusting part is 30% to 40% of the Native Americans NOT having running water!
I am so with you on your outlook here! Why are they so neglected! It infuriates me! 🙏🏼
Not only that, when the Glen Canyon Dam was being built, the US government once again lied to the Navajo about what their allocation should be. And then the dam proceeded to drown ancient dwellings and archaeological sites that existed in Glen Canyon. I'm 100% for the native tribes to get their rightful share.
Been there, seen it, made me angry. Extreme poverty for the locals (natives but also others) and extreme wealth for people who come with yachts for a weekend water pleasure on Lake Powell.
That makes me sad can’t someone do something so native Americans have water. This is crazy!!!
Yeah, the Hopi and Zuni live in very traditional small communities on incredibly remote mesas of the Colorado Plateau where they zealously guard their way of life established 700 years ago. Ditto the vast Navajo Nation that migrated into the area much later that surrounds them who farm along canyon streams and about half live in traditional homes and villages accessed with difficulty over mostly unpaved roads. There are small towns with modern city services. If many tribal members choose not to live in towns, but in a location where they can't access either surface water, or drill a well for groundwater, they do so by their own free will. If you choose to live in a beautiful wilderness 20 or 30 miles from civilization completely off grid, and in tribal council vote to keep it off grid, you are NOT being denied running water by some heartless greedy oppressive adversary.
They build cities in the Desert. Stop complaining about water. It’s like building a city in the rainforest and complaining about the rain
Except if you built a city in the rainforest, it would no longer be rainforest as the only thing keeping a rainforest a rainforest is the layer of spongy undergrowth and decay that holds the water.
If you want water move to the state of Washington.
@@edsloan8535 The comment was NOT a PHD dissertation topic. This aint science class. he made a sensible point. Dont you have "Karen-ing" to do somewhere else?
@@Tomallenny As you Kevin the shit out of my comment....
Moringa trees grow in drought and it's one of the best foods on this planet. There's your crop and it grows year round The seeds purify water the leaves are great for salad and they're better than kale. They love the desert. Cut your water on your roof just like Bermuda does
THANK you! Never heard of them, they sound great.
Quality report Anne Worthington does quality work, everybody in this report looked fantastic
Most of the Colorado downstream goes to California agriculture. I'm surprised that side of the story was left out.
I'm sure folks like IID and other California Ag officials made sure they were not mentioned. They're also not facing any of the 2B water restrictions come January 2023 that us in AZ will be facing. I'm water conscious, and I love Phoenix. It's sad to see the waste. People don't get it. However, the developer barons won't stop paying city and state officials off and let anything get in the way of their profit. It's sickening. I'm pretty sure these development companies are banking on the fact that most prospective residents don't know about this looming crisis. They sure as shit aren't telling those prospective residents there's any problem on the horizon. I love Phoenix, and I've been here almost 30 years. I'm saddened to be telling my wife we need to get out in the next year, or we may be forced to leave in 5 years with no equity, nothing to our names... I posted some of my comment up above and copied and pasted some of it here. No, I'm not a bot.
Most irrigation water for California agriculture comes from Lake Shasta.
@@PilatusTurbo California made consumption cuts five years ago. They have been using significantly less water than they were allocated. Arizona didn’t.
@@allangibson8494 Are you able to reference those cuts? I'm being serious, if I'm unaware, I want to learn of their cuts. IID basically says they're going to fight for their Colorado Water rights until it's dry.
I'm not. Especially since California was the 1st to divert the water with the Parker Dam and the California Aqueduct to supply Los Angeles in the 1930's, takes by far the lion's share and always has, and has refused to participate in an agreement among the states to reduce consumption, so that now the feds have to enforce it. California is by far the elephant in the room. Arizona faces the sharpest cut: 18 percent of the state’s share of the water will be reduced in 2022, compared to 7 percent for Nevada, 5 percent for Mexico, and wait for it ... no reductions for California. So CA, the home of the most adamant water control, is rewarded for its refusal to cooperate with others or accept any control tantrum.
I've been to the Hoover dam, and I've seen it. It really is amazing. Modern marvel engineering.
100 years old??
This report is very similar to an IMAX film called "Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk" in which narrator Robert Redford heads along the river with his daughter and a group of friends explaining the unsustainable consumption, waste, increasing demands and the negative impact on farming and native residents just as this report does. However 'River at Risk' was released in 2008!
We weren't "listening" then to the possibility of future drought conditions due to overuse of water supllies ! Now it's too late ! Wait until the towns & cities have to tell their taxpayers there is no more water tomorrow ! Watch the exodus start, as it did for the indigenous people all thos eyears ago !
I was working for a house boat company, on Lake Powell, 20 years ago. That was the first time they had to close a boat launch because the water had receded beyond the end of it, and there was just this huge concrete slap, hanging in the air, with a 5 or 6 foot drop off at the end. The water was about another 8 to 10 feet beyond that. It was surreal, as earlier in the season, people were launching boats in that very spot, off of that very ramp, and within a couple of months, they had to gate it off so people wouldn't mistakenly drive their vehicles down the ramp and right off of the edge. I'd only spent the one season there, but seeing the bleached water lines that were already growing up the sides of the cliffs was alarming. As much as I loved Lake Powell, and the whole area around it, I think it would break my heart to see it now......
I remember going to Powell/Bullfrog 25-30 years ago and it was starting then….it makes me sad it take a quarter of a century for this to be news….40 years ago…a college professor was trying to teach us Colorado was going to be in trouble….it has stuck with me all these years……he was waaay ahead of his time and he was right. I live in Colorado.
@@gaylec146 I hear ya, my friend. So, you were there just before I was. I know the water had already dropped considerably by the time I got there, so it totally tracks what you experienced. Lake Powell was a grand idea, in a 'perfect world', but sadly, it just wasn't meant to be I'm afraid. It's one of the few major, man made, lakes in the US that was built since I was born. Looks like it's lifespan will be shorter than mine, too. It's sad, because it truly was a beautiful lake, with over 2300 miles of shoreline. The way I described it to friends was, "imagine filling the entire North end of the Grand Canyon with water. All of the little offshoot canyons, and gullys and mesas and everything that makes up the Grand Canyon.....well...that's Lake Powell." It was the 'House Boat Capital of the World', for a while, for good reason. It's going to be sad to see it go.
This why every home need to recycle water. Gray water system for watering the lawn/garden and things that don't require clean water and not use clean water for those things. The way things are currently is backwards
Lawns are not natural in a desert.. just outlaw them, if people like desert,, give them desert...
We don't water our rock gardens. Indoor water is 100% recycled.
Our tribe has water that originates on tribal land. It’s the only tribe where water originates on tribal land in the US. The metro Phoenix cities claimed ownership of our water, even though they are 200 miles south of our tribe … and they don’t conserve water at all - with millions of residents having green lawns while we have to conserve water where we live 😡
I've read about your plight. A foreign mining company also wants to build a lithium mine near your land, which would further deplete your water supply. It's disgusting.
Wow I was thinking about this recently when flying into the Phonix airport from California. I was sick to my stomach seeing all the man made lakes, swimming pools, green golf courses and lawns. To me this is the problem. Man thinking he can tame and consume nature and greedy lifestyle just taking and taking and not caring about others and living harmoniously with each other and Mother Earth.
Green lawns ought to be outlawed.
@@lucindalaree4666 metro Phoenix gets around 60 % of its water from my tribe and pays very little for it. Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the US and one of the fastest growing metro cities in the US. There’s no way our river can support the city forever.
I cannot describe how much that infuriates me
I was stationed at NAS Lemoore for almost three years in the '80s. I learned a lot of history from the locals. First and foremost was the fact that the San Joaquin Valley was a desert before irrigation.
California has always been semi-arid to arid, especially in the south, but except for true desert regions like Death Valley and the Mohave it is not a desert. Even the Los Angeles has artesian springs; my old high school campus has two, still producing water. A local of particularly abundant springs in one locale inspired the name of the town Artesia.
"When we (40 million people) first moved here, lake mead was almost full and now its almost empty". That is why it is almost gone, too many people living in a desert.
Farms and food are more important than watering grass, swimming pools, fountains.... stop using them and wasting water.
Sadly not everyone understands this. We in the ag industry want everyone in the region to have the most prosperous life but food and fiber is key to life.
You’re right- food is needed for life. We need to stop growing it in the desert and grow more in climates suited for it
Don't farm in the desert. Fountains are 100% recycled water.
@@vberbano Why have sustainable food and fiber when you can have attractive water features.
The biggest mistake you’re making is only focusing on the Colorado. It’s the entire southwest that’s suffering
The Colorado is the heart of the entire Southwest. It's a bigger story because the Colorado is the most impressive of all the rivers, so if it is drying up you can be certain the others are too.
LA gets its' water from the Colorado River.
One thing I noted as a Las Vegas condo renter is the HOA's have a 'No Clothesline Policy! I was surprised as this required electrical energy for indoor drying. Sounds silly but each condo or home stricken under HOA policy add up to lots of extra water for power generation.
It's a fundamental violation of America's founding principles to dictate what others can do with their own property. I realize there are some gray areas, but nobody should be denied the option to do what is good for themselves and for their fellow citizens merely to comply with policies based on vain optics.
Excellent point,
I am owner of a condo in San Diego, I just hang my clothes at the patio all year round,in the summer I use fan only,I pay $40 a month for utility bill,I get$70 credit a year from SG&E, some other people pay $ 400 a month in the summer for utility bill.
@@charleshoang566 Solid comment. I haven't lived in San Diego (born and raised) since 2001. Back then I was renting in Vista. I was paying $25 per month (no kickbacks, no special anything for me) and the people in the apartment below me (exact same floor plan) were paying $300 per month. They were all around more poor than I was too.
@@paulrevere2379 Because they don't know how to use their appliances effectively especially air conditioner.
Mismanagement isn't caused by a drought.
We just came out of a few of these in Au, I remember that 40 year drought in Queensland brought Wivenhoe and Somerset down to just 2% capacity. Can't can't really remember how low Hinze dam at the Gold Coast got , I think about 15% capacity.
So is Au out of drought conditions? How much of a recovery? 40 year drought wow.
Wivenhoe is currently 90.5%, Hinz is 99% and Somerset is 82.6% capacity. The drought is over but we still conserve water as rainfall is sporadic. It’s either bone dry or, as earlier this year, we had the worst floods ever. Some towns were actually flooded twice or more within only a few months.
Extreme worldwide climate changes say otherwise (than this being a "temporary drought"). You're certainly not doing your grandchildren any favors by taking the easy, do-nothing position of assuming it will all work itself out in the end. Of course it will work itself out -- just not in the way you expect...
@@Finians_Mancave this planet has a history of "extreme" climate change spanning back hundreds of millions of years. Now that hu.anity is here it's is still no different. The earth's atmosphere will reset itself when it sees fit. I would think we shoud make the most of what we have in this current 'interglacial' period, though we definitely could head in a much better direction than what we currently are.
@@thedoctor2102 That's an easy rebuttal... unless you're wrong. And if you are, our children and grandchildren pay a dear price for your indifference. The alternative is to believe the multitude of climate scientists who say this absolutely is happening, and we should act accordingly to save the planet for the sake of our descendants. Those are the two choices. One will cost us now, but could save the planet. The other could cost us dearly later and sacrifice much of the planet. I don't understand how anyone of conscience could choose the latter.
POPULATION GROWTH MUST STOP.
perfect. Wise guy
IT USUALLY DOES.
What we supposed to do? Get Vasectomies and tubals
What a wonderful place I never seen before. Great tour awesome. Thank you for sharing .
Really over the world, the Water scarcity becomes nowadays the most challenging issue to overcome. One the best alternative solution is Sea water Desalination. Save water, save the planet 💧🌍🙏 Thanks for this interesting documentary.
Israel has stepped up. 70% of all drinking water is de-salinized. Aruba has no fresh water, Completly de-salinized sea water
you know, soil does this for free if you have it.
Not everywhere . There is flooding and there are alot of places that gets their normal rain still. The msm focus on drought .
But it uses a lot of energy.
As an Aussie w/ a degree in climate science, I drove through Bakers Field outside LA, and its DRY AF! Talk about having blinders on. America is f'ed.
@Robert Beck Some places even drown in water, like Houston, and it will get worse with climate zones shifting.
Imagine us ( Australia) making a massive city in the middle of the Simpson Desert......
@@matthoskin3572 Imagine us (Netherlands) making a massive city in the middle of the Zuiderzee... It is possible, but sustainability and environmental effects should be carefully taken in consideration. In the USA this balance is lost, they live in the here and now, without any regard to the future or history. Egocentrism is woven into their entire concept.
@@matthoskin3572 🤣
"Your way of life is threatened and your way of life may not be able to proceed". The key here is way of life. WE can adapt and find a better way which does not have devastating effects on our environment and therefore us. Denial is not the way. Knowing this is real requires responsibility. Climate denial is irresponsible.
Yeah, it didn't seem that any of the water users were denying that the historical 20 year and 10 year cycles of abundance and drought happen, since most have lived on their land (the Native Americans and the 5th generation farmers) long enough to see the river at its peak and the current low point. They seem far better attuned to Nature than the city dwellers, 99% of whom have no idea where their water comes from and how it gets to their faucet. They also seem to be resilient and adaptable and seem to prepare for shortages, such as having their cisterns and barrels and rain catchement systems. It would probably be good to stop diverting Colorado headwaters on the West side of the Rockies to the East side to supply the explosively growing cities there as has been happening since the 1950's. That would do a lot to restore water levels to the Colorado upstream, without having to try to manipulate the weather, an activity that we don't know what the side effects and consequences might be, if it could even be done at all. It would also be nice if the elephant in the room, California, which has taken the lion's share of the water to build cities in its deserts and refuses to adjust its usage of the Colorado had been mentioned. Arizona faces the sharpest cut: 18 percent of the state’s share of the water will be reduced in 2022, compared to 7 percent for Nevada, 5 percent for Mexico, and no reductions for California because it just outright refused to participate in negotiations with the other users and the feds.
Thanks for carpenters my father was a carpenter for 32 years I'm 30 now. Thanks for the casa building.
WoW that is a big wake up call.thank you for your good job mdam
Lesson: If at all possible, do NOT live in an area getting less than 20 inches (about 500 mm) of rain per year. In the US, that means draw a line from San Antonio north to Bismark, North Dakota; and do not live west of that line. *Exception* :the Pacific Northwest west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains, which does get sufficient rainfall.
What about the people who already live there? This isn't the best solution.
That’s a ridiculous statement
@@NiminaeOld @Judy in AZ I'm talking about new residents. The drier areas of The West (i.e. most of it) is from a water perspective overpopulated. Unless you want expensive desalinized water from the ocean combined with other excruciating water-saving measures, people are taking a big gamble moving out there.
Try telling Humans where to live. 😄 Are you the new Boss?
@@Diana1000Smiles My first word in that post is "Lesson" , *not* "Command". Translation: "I'm not ordering you what to do, I'm saying you'd be wise to take what I say into consideration before you make your move". Pay attention to detail!! It'll get you accused of superficial understandings every time, believe me.
Planting Salt bush would produce ground cover that would absorb a lot of sun-heat and the temperature of the ground would not "push away" the possibility of cloud cover. There is so little green cover because it is perceived that it requires a lot of water for that. But salt bush grows on very little water and has extremely deep roots... and a water table has been mentioned. Getting Eucalypt trees growing could change things too. Something different needs to be tried.
Eucalyptus trees are extremely water-heavy consumers - they, along with sycamores, have been used to dry up swamps. They're also incredibly flammable, a problem to which the Southwest is already prone and doesn't need any more help exacerbating.
eucalyptus is called firebomb tree, and its perfect for exacerbating the california's annual forest fire season
I'm always impressed with the quality of reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Company (I think that is their name.)
The right wingers in Australia hate it. They generally hate any kind of scrutiny of environmental problems because it might threaten share prices or corporate power.
Rupert Murdoch's life mission is to get them completely shut down. You can see why.
Heartbreaking...
Some of those desert suburbs would be like living on a desolate Mars - where's the attraction? This will end badly for a lot of people.
The American dream People are told from birth that they are just temporarily embarassed billionaires and that if they do the right things like owning a house , no matter where that is , they'll have a great future for their family
More of my fate and error "choices"..
@@Ktmfan450 That is not true.
@@alaska3300 The working class being "temporarily embarrassed billionaires" or the "if you work hard you'll make it" part?
@@Ktmfan450 Having your house paid off no mortgages was basically the American dream. I never heard anyone say where the house was…? Who knows with the way things have changed over the years…
9:05 In other words it’s inevitable and she’s just in denial.
"Deadpool means we can no longer deliver water or produce power." "Having that happen, is not an option." - It's this kind of arrogance that has them in this position, in the first place.
Yes, I thought the same thing. I bet she voted republican
Interesting, I had the opposite reaction thinking she wanted to conserve and/or limit water vs letting water drop to dead pool level. Maybe I misunderstood. Either way the situation is unfortunate. Water should be available to families including native Americans then to businesses such as hotels and farming but at the same time monitored for waste or overuse.
@@william4475 Wholeheartedly agree, with water distribution.
@@denisdaly1708 does not mater what fn party you vote for. Your human, u need water to live, you are running out of it everywhere. And your worried what party she voted for. Lmao wow
This is a great piece of work. I live in arizona and water troubles are monting. In arizona though, cities are manazing great witbout any cuts.
The Navaho indigenous people of the dessert area should have rights to the water and the pipelines for running water in their homes.
Not only Navajo but Hopi, Hualapai and Apache as well.
The Hopi Nation has a large reservation in Northern Arizona on the Colorado Plateau, with communities on 1st, 2nd and 3rd mesa that continue in their traditional culture. They could have pumps and pipe water from their springs and wells into their pueblos if they wanted to. They chose the locations hundreds of years ago, and are farmers. Their locations have permanent reliable year-round water or they couldn't and wouldn't have chosen them for their villages. The huge Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the US, surrounds the Hopi Nation, and covers most of Northeast Arizona and some of Northwest New Mexico. They are also farmers and sheep herders, and live in small family units or small villages of traditional structures or houses. Again, most live in canyons with springs or have wells. They also have towns with reliable permanent water sources that deliver piped water and electricity, etc. to the homes, offices, art galleries, restaurants, etc. Some people live off-grid in truly remote locations and don't farm or herd, so why they chose a location without a permanent reliable source of water is their business. It is not the job of the tribe to dig up sacred scenic ground to lay waterpipe for 20 to 30 miles to their house. They should move to where there is water. The Havasupai Indian Reservation owns a large section of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Its main economy is tourism, as shown in the documentary. Prices are steep, and access to their portion of the River is limited and tightly controlled. Lastly, another huge reservation owned by native americans on the Colorado: The Colorado River Indian Tribes include four distinct Tribes - the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo. There are currently about 4,277 active Tribal members. The CRIT Reservation was created in 1865 by the Federal Government for “Indians of the Colorado River and its tributaries,” originally for the Mohave and Chemehuevi, who had inhabited the area for centuries. People of the Hopi and Navajo Tribes were relocated to the reservation in later years. The reservation stretches along the Colorado River on both the Arizona and California side. It includes almost 300,000 acres of land, with the river serving as the focal point and lifeblood of the area. The primary community in the CRIT Reservation is Parker, Arizona, which is located on a combination of Tribal land, leased land that is owned by CRIT and land owned by non-Native Americans. There are other, smaller communities on the reservation, including Poston, located 10 miles south of Parker.
@@VivaCatatumbo973 The Hopi Nation has a large reservation in Northern Arizona on the Colorado Plateau, with communities on 1st, 2nd and 3rd mesa that continue in their traditional culture. They could have pumps and pipe water from their springs and wells into their pueblos if they wanted to. They chose the locations hundreds of years ago, and are farmers. Their locations have permanent reliable year-round water or they couldn't and wouldn't have chosen them for their villages. The huge Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the US, surrounds the Hopi Nation, and covers most of Northeast Arizona and some of Northwest New Mexico. They are also farmers and sheep herders, and live in small family units or small villages of traditional structures or houses. Again, most live in canyons with springs or have wells. They also have towns with reliable permanent water sources that deliver piped water and electricity, etc. to the homes, offices, art galleries, restaurants, etc. Some people live off-grid in truly remote locations and don't farm or herd, so why they chose a location without a permanent reliable source of water is their business. It is not the job of the tribe to dig up sacred scenic ground to lay waterpipe for 20 to 30 miles to their house. They should move to where there is water. The Havasupai Indian Reservation owns a large section of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Its main economy is tourism, as shown in the documentary. Prices are steep, and access to their portion of the River is limited and tightly controlled. Lastly, another huge reservation owned by native americans on the Colorado: The Colorado River Indian Tribes include four distinct Tribes - the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo. There are currently about 4,277 active Tribal members. The CRIT Reservation was created in 1865 by the Federal Government for “Indians of the Colorado River and its tributaries,” originally for the Mohave and Chemehuevi, who had inhabited the area for centuries. People of the Hopi and Navajo Tribes were relocated to the reservation in later years. The reservation stretches along the Colorado River on both the Arizona and California side. It includes almost 300,000 acres of land, with the river serving as the focal point and lifeblood of the area. The primary community in the CRIT Reservation is Parker, Arizona, which is located on a combination of Tribal land, leased land that is owned by CRIT and land owned by non-Native Americans. There are other, smaller communities on the reservation, including Poston, located 10 miles south of Parker.
Simply the best review of this current slow moving apocalypse. Grab your popcorn.
So you don't have children. Best to keep it that way.
It's not the farmers,it's the fact.that the population has increased 1000% in the last 70 years in a desert never meant to support these kinds of numbers. 1 billion is the sustainable population capacity.
SoKal uses 75% of River flows and farming in the Imperial Valley desert uses 80% of that. So over 50% of the River is used for farming in the desert. That makes little sense doesn't it?
It's a desert, it does desert things like evaporation of water, why are you people surprised?
What crop uses little water, well there is this little herb called Cannabis that is really water conservative :)
Hemp
🤣🤣🤣
Right?
Illegal cannabis farms causing some big problems in suburban California.
Yes, the cannabis herb can be liberally mixed into salads, baked into cakes, and even smoked. In these days of drought, it's just so nice to hear Mother Nature calling, "Hi !!".
The mighty nation is being humbled by nature.
And yet the people here who need to be humbled most keep pretending these issues don't exist. They use wealth they gain by exploiting others to create towers for themselves, then sit on those towers consuming and patting themselves on the back while they watch the rest of us suffer the consequences of their hubris.
More like by crazy politicians like the kook in the nursing house.
The problem is being recognized which will be solved.
Water is in reality more valuable than gold. Water is the source of life.
I'll swap you as much water you can use. Pay me in Gold.
@@carlo9524 water is priceless. If (I hope when) we as humans truly appreciate it’s value, we will all become water protectors. There will be no buying/selling of water.
Permaculture? Especially around the river itself let alone the farming areas that depend on water? I'm guessing Monoculture based industrial agriculture is no longer sustainable?
Nice job on this reporting. Very well done.
I found the comments to be ignorant and irrelevant, too.
Those farmers growing alfalfa in the desert knew the day was coming when water would become more scarce. They need to move to the Midwest or find another Crip to grow.
Kudos ABC Australia Another exceptional documentary...
I am a Washington State native and feel blessed that I have never had to worry about water and dread the day I ever have to. People have laughed at the Pacific NW for years because of all the rain and gray skies but now they are moving here. They are doing to this state what they did to theirs.
Us and them thinking just won't cut it anymore. The problem are diverse and many, while the origin is that flow that comes down the birth canal.
@@akg96 It is us and them because I won't be overpopulating a desert with no water.
Alfalfa is one of the most wasteful crops, in terms of water. Like American diesel fuel or crude oil, how much of it is being exported overseas?
Thank you!!
Well alfalfa is the premier hay of choice for dairy cows, and AZ has a huge dairy industry that buys most of it (or grows their own). AZ and neighbor states horse operations also prize AZ alfalfa. CA dairies also buy AZ alfalfa. Unlike other crops, alfalfa and cotton tolerate the AZ heat.
@@focusfrost9856 it's not OK, it's draining the water.
We were driving across Texas to take my daughter to college and crossed over the Brazos. Well, where the Brazos was supposed to be. It wasn't there. Completely dried up northwest of Dallas.
Yeah Texas is already hot & every year, recently, it's been getting hotter & hotter & the rivers are super low if there at all.
I can donate about a half inch to your river, every time it rains in the Pittsburgh area my property has so much water I would love to give you some
I am a 18 yrs old from Nepal watching this. I have never faced water shortage ever in my life. And today I feel proud that our country is still on the developing phase. The natural resources(water sources) are still untouched & tons of lakes & rivers in the mountains & several other places are still undiscovered. Even if we start using water like crazy, we have enough water to survive few more centuries. I hope that our nation will be able to help U.S as soon as possible. To everyone from U.S., don't worry. Good time will come soon.
Bad things happen when you try and tackle nature
Not always. Every time you turn on the AC you’re ’tackling’ nature.
@@jpsmith9452 And then the water level gets so low the dam generator no longer make power,then A/C no longer work.
@@carlinshowalter1806 true. But thankfully there’s other ways to generate electricity.
Now that media and all content creators have shown the condition of Colorado River. Would you mind to interview those that are sitting in public office. What are there plans, if there are such. That’s we wanted to watch. Thank you.
Now that you are informed about some of the issues, perhaps YOU and your fellow voters could bring it up with your candidates for the forthcoming mid-terms, and not rely on a little overseas current affairs program to do what is YOUR responsibility in a federalist democracy.
I flew over Lake Havasu and the Colorado River a couple weeks ago. Looked full to me.
Hoover Dam was built in part to control flooding, but also to conserve water for droughts. The rainy spell in the 1980s dropped so much water that the Hoover's overflow system was severely damaged and needed redesign. One solution would be to replace the hydroelectric power and its water usage with nuclear and other sources.
Oh no,not Nuclear! The tree huggers have and will throw a fit! Hell, we already have Las Vegas in the middle of the desert so why not build a huge nuke power plant right outside town and sell the power to other growing cities in the region? It couldn't be that bad of a idea could it? Tell me how I'm wrong please!
What about the diverted water at the continental divide at the head waters of the colorado that takes water at the begining that is supposed to flow west and they make it flow east. Did they miss that? Plus the drying up of the Owens valley in California and the drying up of Mono lake. And the water shed all along the eastern Sierra slope that is taken to L.A. the water wars of the 1920s and earlier.
Over 50 years ago Oklahoma built lots of man made lakes. The lakes capture the rain. Provide recreation in boating and fishing. We have at least one dam in the Tulsa area. Our climate has changed slowly helping with extreme heat and cold. It’s helped us. We have cattle horses wheat oil.
Your talking sensible solutions that come with actions to a population that wants the solution dictated to them and paid for by someone other than themselves. Every one of those states could have followed similar plans and had benefited. The farmers themselves could have implemented water retention systems and even purchased water making machines that are now available and will provide them water for their crops. Did any of them look for a solution and implement that solution? Nope, they just maintained a "not my problem to fix" attitude. The really sad thing is; a lot of Americans have this attitude. They will actively fight against a solution being implemented and because of that attitude; rather than receiving the education that taxes are spent on, children are now being abused by teachers with critical race theory and the immoral lgbtq+ agenda when they attend school.
Meanwhile all the fracking is causing mini-earthquakes while they pump pollution into your groundwater. All this mess has got to stop.
@@argusfleibeit1165 "Meanwhile all the fracking is causing mini-earthquakes while they pump pollution into your groundwater. All this mess has got to stop." I hear tell, Joe Biden put an end to fracking on his first day in office. That is one of the reasons energy prices are so inflated.
@@scotttovey Inflation is world-wide. Look instead to the buy-up of real estate for inflated prices, as multi-billionaires and corporations try to launder their excess, untaxed capital. Suddenly working and middle-class people are having their apartments sold out from under them when the rent is doubled. Second homes sit empty. Affordable housing shortage? This is why. There was no massive destruction of houses or giant burst in population. Excess capital, which needs to be taxed and reinvested in services and infrastructure, not buying up housing at inflated prices.
@@argusfleibeit1165 " Excess capital, which needs to be taxed and reinvested in services and infrastructure"" Is unconstitutional and unlawful in the United States. The reason the United States has been the most prosperous nation on earth for as long as we have is because we allow people to profit from their business dealings and become rich. Anyone that is pushing for higher taxes, double taxation and anything that will diminish the economic prosperity of the United States is levying war against the United States. Any citizen doing that is committing treason.
We are watching from King High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. Go King Mustangs! We enjoy watching CNN Student News. It''s very educational and inspiring. Love the pop quizzes and information on animals and the environment, and the football player interviews. Nice job!
Very scary to watch this. Having lived in Las Vegas since 1999 to see what could be in store for us makes ya wonder what will happen.
Move :)
I also live in Phx. I am absolutely shocked that the current powers that be are STILL trying to bring even more water wasters to the valley. The elimination of the farmers will only slow the drought by a year or so. But the ripple effect will ultimately make the southwest uninhabitable. Where will 40 million people move to next?
What gets me is the rush to turn off the farmers water first, as they are feeding the rest of the country. But then it was never going to be sustainable if drought conditions prevailed as they have been for recent years !
There is another video series on KZhead that focuses on lake Mead going dry. I was talking to an older gentleman the other day and we got in the subject of droughts because of how early and how long the heat has gotten over the years. He says the entire world has been experiencing a drought for the past 20 years. But because of it we have found towns roads bridges that have been long gone.
Some recent storms have brought the water level up several feet. 10 days of overland flooding in Las Vegas. Will this continue?
Great informative truthful video. I live in California and have tried pushing for more desalination plants on social media and talking to state legislature candidates. I believe it'll still take a catastrophe before something like huge desalination projects are considered. People have their heads in the sand still or just want to build more dams. But if there is no rain to fill the dams then all you have is a mud hole or sand pit.
Read up on desalinization It’s not just free water you can have
Growing crops in a desert and being surprised that there is no water: priceless. The stupidity is astounding! xD
You obviously don't understand how agriculture works. Read any of my other posts to get a clue, but the farms aren't the problem here. It's consumerism.
Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, pomegrante dates??? Heat crops...houses not so much...
Every household in the CO River Basin should be prepared to adapt to using 1/2 the water you currently use. We don't need to ban golf courses, but the water use per capita (customer) is less useful than agriculture. And agriculture firms needs to be prepared for some capital investment into serious water efficiency upgrades, we must do more with less, every day for the foreseeable future. Here in California, I think building a brand new nuclear reactor + desalination plant could add some robustness to both electrical and water systems.
Or Desal and Solar.
Actually, you do need to ban golf courses by dewatering them.
What about the very high water usage crops like alfalfa? Much of the alfalfa cropland is owned by Middle East countries and the alfalfa crop is shipped there. Why? Because they're not allowed to grow such a water intensive use crop in those Middle East countries.
Can Iran build Nuclear Reactor?
@@YallaMiami …with Russian assistance, yes.
Pat Mulroy is the most insightful forward looking government official in the country. As a 40 year resident we would not have been able to thrive as we have.
Casualties building the Hoover: The "official" number of fatalities involved in building Hoover Dam is 96. These were men who died at the dam site (classified as "industrial fatalities") from such causes as drowning, blasting, falling rocks or slides, falls from the canyon walls, being struck by heavy equipment, truck accidents, etc.
And what's your point?, Snap out of it. Millions of people died making this country
Don't worry, you can move half way to the coast and meet the rising sea levels, or do what man always has done adapt to the new conditions or move.
Adapt or die!
What is the problem - no snow in the mountains in winter, plus no rains in the summer?
Far less snow in the Colorado and Wyoming Rockies. That's the major provider of water to the river system. Monsoon rains can help...a little. But it's nothing like spring melt of snow.
Arizona just now get monsoon rains, they say.......
Things are going to get very tough for us. I feel terrible for the children. Rivers are drying up.
Alfalfa growing in AZ is going to be a casualty of the lack of water. Golf courses do not belong in deserts. People can either choose to make more sustainable choices in farming and diet or the decision will be made for them with less predictable and more drastic outcomes. Fun fact: If Americans skipped meat just one day a week, it would be enough of an impact to alleviate the Colorado River's supply problems.
Rain water tanks on every house,and our water authority in South Western Australia seen decline in rain and population increase yrs ago and built a big desalination plant and recycling waste water in city
THREE desalination plants to supply Perth metro area, and ten other private desal plants up and down the coast, especially to supply mining interests. The program mentioned a pipeline from the California coast of about 250 miles. CY O'Connor built a water pipeline in about 1900 Perth to Kalgoorlie, a distance of 370 miles. Herbert Hoover lived in Kalgoorlie (mining engineer, future president) at that time. He would have seen what was possible in backwards Western Australia. Shame he did not learn from it.
Even rain water is polluted and unsafe to drink. We are allow to collect rain water due to west Nile.
FYI. It freezes over there. Good to know some Strayuns are as knowledgeable as Banana Republicans of US.
What about the flood plains there? Pretty scary living in areas where flooding's increased drastically. One man bought a $1.5M home there, and developers and contractors told him nothing about the flood plain. He and his family and friends moved there from India. Just one example from a DW doc I recently watched.