Western Megadrought Shrinks The Colorado River, Bringing Multi-State Consequences | Nightly Films



The Colorado River is a 1,400-mile, life-sustaining artery for the American West – supplying water for seven states while generating hydroelectric power for millions. Experts tell NBC News’ Steve Patterson that the river’s power is shrinking, thanks to heavy demand, combined with rapid climate change and a decades-long megadrought. Steve gets exclusive access inside the Glen Canyon Dam as the crisis leads to historic water rationing. Levels at Lake Powell and higher water temperatures are changing the ecosystem inside the Grand Canyon.

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35 comments

  1. All these man made rivers drying up seems kind of sketchy!

  2. Let's get some nuclear plants built already.

  3. When you put golf courses in a dessert zone expecting everything is going to be ok, you deserve what is coming.

  4. What a disaster…who could have ever seen this coming?!

  5. Arizona this January will lose 21 percent of it's water from Colorado River, this is unprecedented.

  6. All the answers here are probably true though, unless you're willing to either let all of the people who are in the western third of the country move over toward the center or the eastern part of the United States, you're going to need to find a way to reallocate water that is available either as rain or otherwise. So much rain can fall through Texas and it is not captured and stored in reservoirs but instead just escapes either as evaporation or similar. If they were to build reservoirs, and the reservoirs were built throughout the Midwest, where they could shuffle the water around through large pipe systems similar to what they might use for oil or gas, then those areas getting a lot of water in the form of rain could supplement those areas getting little water or rain. If the area had too much water, they could easily push it off to another region that needed it.

  7. What can we do besides stifle or limit growth? Theres no way people would agree to that

  8. Everyone focusing on muh golf courses instead of the main problem which is the urbanization or suburban neighborhoods and turning single family homes into large concrete apartment complexes that use up 1000x the water a normal house would use.

  9. Driving through the Southwest and seeing so many new homes without solar over the last decade has been shockingly disappointing.

    We are creating our experience. Only we can fix or possibly change the trajectory we are on.

  10. and meanwhile, here in the south, we have PLENTY OF WATER.

  11. desert homes worth squat.. no water

  12. People should move now before it’s too late and have no water.

  13. Well, it is not Nevada's fault. We barely use any of it compared to CA, AZ, and Mexico

  14. How are we supposed to charge all them electric cars. If the grid can hardly keep up with the ac and lights. We should really figure out the source of the issue. Maybe we should all look at ourselves instead of pointing fingers

  15. ALL THE BILLIONAIRES COMBINED cannot stop the death of our planet now!

  16. Just keep building in the desert. That will work for you

  17. The US and China are the worst two emitters of green house gases in the world. However China is doing something about that with enormous amounts of EV on the roads, and vast amounts of solar and wind projects coming on line.

    The US is doing absolutely the minimum it has to and just keeps emitting more and more.

    So the US is the biggest problem with global warming. Let's see how they manage without water.

  18. Don't forget the farming taming water in California. While we have to suffer fir their needs

  19. Way to go humans. We've destroyed a river the carved the grand canyon over millions of years in what, 150 years?

  20. Since they also mentioned climate change again let me enlighten any idiot's on here that believes it. Climate change is a lie. If it was real your buddy Al Gore wouldn't be flying around in his private jet all the time. And your buddy Obama wouldn't have bought a huge mansion on the waterfront if the oceans are supposed to be rising. Stop being so stupid by listening to what they say. Instead start looking at what they actually do. Actions always speak the loudest.

  21. I don't understand what the Americans are waiting to build desalination facilities. The oceans are full of water remove the salt problem solved 🤦🏼 Even if it is costly it will be cheaper than the consequences of running out of water

  22. Let me fix it for you. The idiots in California are diverting the water into the ocean by as much as 70 percent. So they are screwing up the river as a result. Truth matter's.

  23. 3:13 Mexico? Mexico isnt a state. Your thinking of New Mexico. This is what happens when you have muppets running the show.

  24. JUST IMPORT THE WATER SILLY

  25. I mean we could all take climate change seriously but y’all still concerned with your bereal notifications

  26. The Administration should focus on desalination technology instead of forcing EV by 2035. Saudi and Israel had been utilizing this technology for years.

  27. Our country has become so greedy to the point where we can't solve the simplest problem. What happen to cooperation? Water is a necessity not a want. Without water what will happen to all those cities in those states? If those states keeps going business as usual and neglect those specific problems going to see the same problems like Jackson Mississippi.

  28. There is enough water; the problem is greedy unsustainable agriculture. These farmers need to find a new trade.

  29. They have tunneled under the land and stole the water

  30. I bet Trump still don’t believe in climate change..

  31. Maybe make Kim kardashian return the 180K gallons of water she used last month. Or cut off Las Vegas. Not sure my Arizona is the state being punished.

  32. It once was full of water !! Earth is running out.