In this episode, Miles O’Brien discusses the strain on the Colorado River and the farmers, water managers and negotiators working for a solution to support the American West.
Twenty-five years into an epic drought, the Colorado River is shrinking, and cities that rely on it like Phoenix and Tucson are continuing to grow. Miles looks into the tensions between the upper basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming and the lower basin states of Arizona, Nevada and California.
The lower basin has water reserves with the Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, but the upper basin relies solely on precipitation and snowpack, which is severely impacted by climate change. Miles lays out the facts of where the water is going and where cuts must be made. Municipalities have done their part to lower water usage, and farmers will have to do the same.
Elise asks why so much farming takes place in a region where water is such a finite resource, and Miles discusses the pros and cons of farming in the Imperial Valley. With the key players and their interests all laid out, the solution for this problem remains elusive, highlighting the long road it takes to get to innovation.
