Dammed If You Don't: What the Bureau of Reclamation Can do to Address a Drying Colorado River
Journal
American University Administrative Law Review Accord
Volume
9
Issue
2
Abstract
The Colorado River provides critical water supplies to nearly forty million people and irrigates more than five million acres of land. It spans seven American states, two Mexican states, and thirty Native American tribal reservations. Even those without direct access to the Colorado River still benefit from its output—farmers use about 80% of the available water from the river to produce and deliver crops to the entire United States. Today, in a proclaimed “climate emergency,” this vast resource is threatened by a persistent megadrought, the worst drought in 1,200 years. The resulting water loss due to drier winters and evaporation means that the states and tribes are finding that there is less water to go around. As the American Southwest continues to see rapid population growth, it is faced with an emergency of its own as it contemplates how to deliver a dwindling resource to growing demand.
Repository Citation
Kirsten Companik,
Dammed If You Don't: What the Bureau of Reclamation Can do to Address a Drying Colorado River,
9
(2024).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/stusch_lawrev/91