Colorado Public Radio
The Colorado River has shaped life as we know it in the southwestern United States. Its water has allowed for explosive population growth and agricultural development in some of the driest parts of the country. But due to overallocation and climate change, the river is drying up.
What that means for the future of life in the southwestern U.S. depends, in large part, on how the seven states that rely on the river renegotiate the 1922 Colorado River Compact, and whether they finally allow tribal nations a seat at the bargaining table. In April, the federal government released options for how the states and tribes could cut their use of the river. The states and tribes have until May 30th to comment on the options before federal officials announce a decision.
Over the past year, CPR news worked on “Parched,” a podcast about the Colorado River and some of the brightest and boldest ideas to save it. We looked at the history of the river, the 1922 compact, and how the rover has allowed millions of people to live in the West.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
How long is the Colorado River and where does it start?
The river is 1,450 miles long and originates near Grand Lake, Colorado, in Rocky Mountain National Park. It starts as snowfall, then melts and travels southwest through Colorado past Moab, Utah, and then continues on through Lake Powell, on the border of Utah and Arizona. In Arizona, the river continues west and reaches Lake Mead on the Nevada border, before turning south towards California and Mexico. Along the way it blends with other rivers, and collects precipitation.
