Schulte 1

Carla Schulte
Professor Tyler
English 1201
29 October 2016
The Water Crisis in the Western United States
The Morrow Point boat tour is a fun and relaxing way to experience the Black Canyon of
the Gunnison in the colorful state of Colorado. On a beautiful, sunny summer day, many tourists
walk down 232 steps to board a pontoon boat to learn about the early narrow-gauge railroad,
geology, wildlife, and the Colorado River. Little do they know that the National Park Ranger
will make an impressionable presentation on the dwindling water supply in the West. On one
particular trip, the Ranger gathered all the children to the front of the boat and as they faced the
adults he stated, The Colorado River is running dry and this generation will not have enough
water to survive unless you save it. The Colorado River provides the western United States
with water for health, agriculture, recreation, and industry. Climate changes and drought have
disrupted the water levels in the Colorado River, but the water shortage is driven by wasteful
water management, human overconsumption, agriculture, and irresponsible legislation.
In 1922, the Congress of the United States approved the Colorado River Compact to
provide equitable division of the use of the Colorado River System among Arizona, Nevada,
New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado (See Figure 1). Mexico was allocated a 9%
portion of the rivers water, originally obtained from the rivers surplus water flow. However, as
the river no longer reaches the desert of northwestern Mexico, the States share a percentage of
their water with Mexico during times of insufficient water flow (Waterman). According to David
Bank, until 1998 the Colorado regularly flowed south along the Arizona-California border into a

Schulte 2
Mexican delta, irrigating farmlands and enriching a wealth of wildlife and flora before emptying
into the Gulf of California (1). While Mexico and the United States are working together to
restore 10,000 acres in the delta and revive 30,000
acres of riverside habitat, but this does not address
all the causes of the decrease of water available to
both nations (Gaynor).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Figure 1 Colorado River Apportionment (Bank)

Administration (NOAA) and environmentalists believe that part of the ever-growing imbalance
between supply and demand of water stems from the erroneous start in dividing up the river.
Years later, it was discovered the actual water flow was less than the estimated water flow used
to determine the amount allocated for each state and Mexico, (Lustgarten). Even in years
without drought, in the West it is impossible to meet the quota of water allocated to each state.
Yet, the amount of water promised to meet different demands keeps growing. For example, in
1944 a treaty was signed promising Mexico an additional 1.5 million acre-feet to Mexico in an
area where the river ends (Bunch). Lake Mead is the most evident sign that water is being over
allocated in the West. It held its full capacity in 2000, dropped to 38% by the end of 2015, and
has continued to have a decline in water levels
(Balling and Goodrich). Regardless of how water is
divided, the projected supply of water will be unable
to meet the increasing demand for water (see figure
2). Water is over appropriated and trying to meet

Figure 2 Colorado River Supply and Demand

(ODonoghue)

impractical water distributions is stressing the water supply making reallocation of water
inevitable; especially with predicted water use trends.

Schulte 3
Another major issue concerning water management is implementing measures to manage
the millions of tons of salt dissolved in the Colorado River, from natural and manmade sources,
that diminishes the amount of usable water. Natural sources of saline water from saline springs
and runoff from snowmelt and thunderstorms cannot be controlled but measures can be taken to
minimize the salt load contributed by human activities. Half of the concentration of salt in the
river is directly related to agriculture practices, reservoir storage, and urban development. The
greatest impact is from the agricultural industry that uses 80% of the river water to irrigate
10,000 acres with a sprinkler system connected by miles of pipe. This irrigation method
accounts for 37% of the salinity levels in the river because drainage water interacts with saline
soil and transports approximating 47,000 tons of salt that would typically remain in the soil into
the river (Triedman). Farmers can improve agricultural water by crop shifting and reusing
treated municipal water for irrigation.
Water storage greatly reduces extensive seasonal changes in salinity by mixing high salt
concentration low flow waters with the low salt concentration from the spring runoffs. The
Colorado River Basin has nine major reservoirs that have a total storage capacity of about 4.5
times the annual flow. Desalting plants have been built below dams to remove saline from
drainage water to be added to untreated drainage water but this costs $25 million to operate each
year. These desalting plants can also process brackish water produced from irrigation that cannot
be isolated or disposed of otherwise. The Mexican Water Treaty with the U.S. requires desalting
water to ensure that Mexico receives water flow within proper saline limits. Improving water
quality by storage systems is a promising method to meet water demands.

Schulte 4
Urban development accounts for a 3% -4% increase in the overall salt load of the
Colorado River due to increased water consumption from municipal or industry uses. This
directly causes the salinity concentration to increase because the volume of water in the river
decreases making the dilution factor lower. People living near water aquifers need to be mindful
of the salt they add into the system through salting roads or installation of water softeners. To
support urban growth, cities will resort to pumping groundwater which creates problems for
spring systems and their ecosystem. Pat Mulroy, head of the Las Vegas Valley Water District,
does not believe geography and natural resources should limit the urban growth in Las Vegas.
Under her direction, two tunnels built from Lake Mead and a pipeline to carry groundwater from
farms in the east have been removing 60% more water from the Colorado River (Lustgarten).
Environmentalists argue this is more of a short-term solution that will not sustain population
growth and do not condone managing water by tapping into groundwater.
Managing water resources is needed to support the trend of growing populations in the
West. The seven states sharing the water rights have a combined population of over 30 million
people with some of these states having the fastest growing populations in the United States (Lee
and Plant 56). The population of the West grew by 32% during the last 25 years compared to
19% in the entire United States. The growth between 2000 and 2010 is depicted in Figure 3.
Much of this growth is due to immigration, evidenced by fact that in 2010 as much as 60% of
Californias population growth was attributed to immigration (Bunch). Population projections
predict that by 2060 more than 62 million people will rely on the Colorado River (Lee and Plant
58). Water experts expect that without water conservation 7 out of every 10 years until 2030
western states will experience deficits and water use restrictions and there will be an inadequate
water supply by 2050 (Ackerman and Stanton 18). It is unlikely people will go without water

Schulte 5
but it will still be accessed at the peril of river ecosystems. This can be minimized if current
agricultural practices are changed to conserve water including producing more drought resistant
crops and fewer livestock commodities.
Agriculture places the greatest demand
on the Colorado River, using 56% to 80% of
water flow to irrigate crops, nourish livestock,
and preserve stock ponds (Balling and
Goodrich). It is estimated that this water is used
to grow 15% of the nations crops (McClurg 6).
Agricultural water needs will continue to

Figure 3 Population Changes in the Colorado River Basis States, 20002010 (ODonoghue)

grow as well as an increased food supply will be needed to support increased food demands. In

Colorado and many of the other seven states, water right laws go back 150 years giving farmers
the first access for water use of the river. Companies, often from the energy sector, purchase
farms to acquire the high priority water rights since it is legal for them to repurpose water rights
for industry use. This practice has dried up some agricultural cities like Crowley, Colorado.
Critics argue that this has not only ruined the quality of community life but the economic
potential of the region. To address this problem, the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy
District formed a Super Ditch which is a rotational agreement with cities to negotiate water use
from the Arkansas River Ditch System (Lee and Plant 57).
Environmentalists insist water laws also discourage farmers and ranchers to conserve
water during a drought because their water allotment is based upon usage. Many farmers will
flood irrigate their pastures using all of their water ration. Farmers claim that the excess water

Schulte 6
not used by plants flows underground downhill to benefit communities and ultimately provide a
steady flow of water back into the river itself. Farmers do not want to change this method of
irrigation because it supports the ecology in the west created through overwatering. Farmers
claim that the rocky soil does not absorb all the water and the runoff fills the underlying aquifer
then ultimately flow back into the Colorado River. Not accounting for the water lost through
evaporation and ground absorption that does not return to the river. It is possible for farmers to
build reservoirs to store water during period of excessive runoff to be used during periods of
drought.
Farmers have voiced concern that their efforts to conserve water would only encourage
cities to grow beyond their capacity forcing farmers to lease or sell their water rights. Many
cities in eastern Colorado take 154 billion gallons of water across the Continental Divide from
western Colorado every year (Bunch). Plans to build more tunnels to redirect water from
agricultural regions to foster urban growth have Farmers alarmed that they will be forced to give
up their water rights. Las Vegas, Denver, and Los Angeles are pushing to develop programs to
take water used by the agricultural industry. Bill Trampe, a Farmer in Colorado, states, The
cities continue to grow and grow and growand they expect me or us as an industry- to give
up Water-Why should I suffer for their sprawl? (Bunch).
The Colorado River has many stakeholders that are pushing this river to its greatest limits.
Americans across the United States should be concerned about the water crisis in the west. The
agricultural industry needs sufficient water to produce enough crops to feed Americans across the
country. For instance, each American uses 300 gallons of Californias water each week just by
eating food produced from that state (Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown). The cost of food
supplied by the west will surely rise as the cost of water or energy generating by hydroelectric

Schulte 7
plants increases (Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown). The United States economy is very
much influenced by the western states contribution to the gross domestic product. It is in
everyones best interest to save the Colorado River from low water levels and potentially running
dry.
Water taken away from the agricultural industry to support population growth will
negatively impact western communities as business or jobs are lost when farmland is taken.
Water can be obtained from groundwater reserves in times of drought with the hope that in years
of water surplus these reserves will be recharged. However, estimates of ground water reserves
are outdated so there is no certainty of how much is available. California uses half of its current
groundwater reserves but this is not sustainable (Ackerman and Stanton 17). It is projected that
California would need three times of the available groundwater to get through the next century.
Depletion of groundwater poses a risk to long-term water security.
There are conflicting opinions about whether the water crisis in the west is man-made or
due to climate change. Many environmentalists claim that global warming is to blame for high
temperature, low precipitation, and evaporation losses affecting low water levels in the Colorado
River. The trend with climate change in the West is reduced snowpack, warmer winters, and
stream flows that come earlier in the calendar year (Lustgarten). The storage capacity for runoff
that happens earlier in the year has not yet been developed. Also, the rising temperatures
increase the amount of water needed by farmers to produce crops and sustain livestock. A recent
NOAA report found that climate change is not the cause of the water crisis in the West
(Lustgarten). The NOAA attributes the drought in the West to normal variances in nature and not
global warming.

Schulte 8
The Colorado River is being stressed to its greatest limits by overallocation, population
growth, and agricultural uses. Mismanagement of the Colorado River has occurred through
overallocation and reducing water quality through human activities that increase the salinity.
Population growth in the West is faster than the rest of the United States. States promoting urban
development are making an effort to encourage water conservation to counteract the higher water
consumption rates. Age old agricultural practices and water legislation are being challenged due
the inefficient way of using water resources and affect water quality. All stakeholders are
working together seeking solutions to the water crisis in the West by exploring and implementing
water conservation solutions.

Schulte 9
Works Cited
Ackerman, Frank and Elizabeth Stanton. The Last Drop: Climate Change and the Southwest
Water Crisis. Publication. Somerville: Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. Print.
Balling, Robert C., and Gregory B. Goodrich. "Analysis of Drought Determinants for the
Colorado River Basin." Climatic Change 1-2 (2007): 179. Academic OneFile. Web. 15
Oct. 2016.
Bank, David. "As the Colorado River Runs Dry, Impact Investors Seek Water Solutions." 30
September 2015. Huffington Post. Web. 15 October 2016.
Bunch, Joey. "Population Growth in Colorado, a First Look - Killing Colorado: Killing
Colorado." Killing Colorado - Documenting the End of One of America's Last Wild
Places: Killing Colorado. N.p., 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
Gaynor, Tim. US - Mexico Water Pact Brings Life Back to Colorado River's Parched Delta. 27
August 2015. Web. 28 October 2016.
Lee, Nathan and Alice Plant. Agricultural Water Use in the Colorado River Basin: Conservation
and Efficiency Tools for a Water Friendly Future. Agricultural. Colorado Springs:
Colorado College, 2016. Document.
Lustgarten, Abrahm. Californias Drought Is Part of a Much Bigger Water Crisis. Heres What
You Need to Know. 25 June 2015. Propublica. Web. 15 October 2016.
McClurg, Sue. "Historic Drought and The Colorado River: Today and Tomorrow." Western
Water (2015): 4-13. Environment Complete. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
ODonoghue, Amy. "Report Suggests Anticipatory Steps to Compensate for Projected Colorado
River Supply Shortfalls." KSL News (2015). Bonneville International. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.

Schulte 10
Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown. More Water In California Reservoirs, But Drought
Persists. 10 October 2016. Web. 14 October 2016.
Triedman, Natalie. "Environment and Ecology of the Colorado River Basin." 6 February 2012.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Document. 8 Nov. 2016.
Waterman, Jonathan. "Where the Colorado Runs Dry." 15 February 2015. The New York Times.
Web. 15 October 2016.