The Green Desert

Wednesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. 

Carving an azure line through some of North America’s most arid climates, the Colorado River system is in a countdown to dead pool, a condition that occurs when the amount of water stored in a reservoir is so low that water can no longer flow downstream.

This interconnected series of reservoirs and canals supplies water to the desert valleys of Imperial, Coachella and Yuma in California and Arizona. Giant farms located in these desert valleys are responsible for generating 90% of the produce consumed in the United States during the winter months. Yet the effects of climate change and a decades-long drought threaten their very existence. In the face of dire shortages and unprecedented cutbacks, can this agricultural linchpin find a way to survive?

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