Is the Colorado River Damned? Op-Ed

[Flaxbee]

http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-river-damned-op-ed-210009332.html

[Gary Wockner is director of the Save The Colorado River Campaign, which provides funding for community river preservation organizations throughout the Colorado River basin. Wockner contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.]

More than 35 million people throughout the southwestern United States and northern Mexico depend on the Colorado River's water. In 30 years, that total number is likely to double.

That's why so many call the Colorado the "lifeblood of the West."

But yesterday (April 17), American Rivers declared the Colorado River America's Most Endangered River, and climate change is a big part of the picture.

The warming, drying climate of the Southwest is hitting the river hard. We now know that drought is likely to be the new normal in the Colorado River basin — scientists tell us that climate change could reduce the amount of water in the Colorado River ecosystem by 9 to 20 percent. Predictions of climate change and water usage draining the famed Lake Mead and Lake Powell dry are a small, but real, part of that picture.

[NYC_SKP]

1. These people will need to get used to half as much water. The river is already 100% done.

And doesn't even make it to the ocean anymore.

[Flaxbee]

2. If Californians (of which I was one from birth to age 28) would just xeriscape --

get rid of the ridiculous green lawns, do rainwater capture, a few simple things - there would be plenty of water. But the US just seems to want to do everything in excess- even environmental degradation.

[Gregorian]

3. Or stop breeding.

The problem is the number of people using stuff. All of the rest is just symptom.

It's fun to just watch the suicide in slow motion. I keep wondering who and when we will address the real issue. Probably never.

[Flaxbee]

4. lol. I agree. Not just Californians, though.

The entire globe needs to practice birth control.

[love_katz]

5. + 1,000,000,000,000

Too many people don't want to talk about this, even though it is what is most needed to address our problems.

Can't be interferin' with the 1%'s need for more canon fodder and low-wage slaves.

[joshcryer]

6. Lake Meed is having serious water issues.

It's done for.