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Water In The Colorado River Is Disappearing. Here’s How The Government Is Trying To Divide Up

WAMU 88.5 | By Amanda Williams

Published September 20, 2021 at 5:24 PM PDT

A paddle boarder rides with a dog during low water levels due to the western drought at the Lake Mead Marina on the Colorado River in Boulder City, Nevada.

Forty million people rely on the Colorado River. If you like to eat lettuce in the winter, chances are you do too.But a decades-long western drought shows no sign of letting up and chronic overuse of the river’s water is taking its toll.

As water levels drop, dividing up what’s left is getting harder.The government officially declared a water shortage for the Colorado last month which will force states to cut their water use.

How did we get here? And what can we do to get the water we need?

Amanda Williams

Water In The Colorado River Is Disappearing. Here&#8217;s How The Government Is Trying To Divide Up

Water In The Colorado River Is Disappearing. Here’s How The Government Is Trying To Divide Up