Colorado River Water Problem

The water levels in the Colorado River continue to fall as the seven states that rely on it for water grow. With this growth, we must stop wasting water or we will see the water supply drop to even more alarming levels. Some states have started to implement rewards to residents who remove their grass lawns or put strict rules on their water usage, however, even if we slow our consumption and waste, we are using our water at an unsustainable rate. Global warming, in combination with our current drought, has made this an issue for our generation and not the next.

In researching this problem, I found several articles that address these issues and offer solutions on how we can solve the problem. They speak to reducing waste and the economics

of the water usage, however, none of these articles describe ways to increase our water supply. Cities want farmers to stop getting preferential treatment, and farmers want cities to stop using water for private swimming pools and other things deemed less important. Even these solutions only slow the rate of consumption. More research needs to be done on sustainability, we need to replenish our water source.
Saltwater might be a viable solution. Found in abundance, it accounts for approximately 97% of Earths water. Unfortunately, salt water has its limitations. Desalination is on way to turn our oceans into fresh water. Although we can already use this process it’s not cost effective and takes a lot of energy. If desalination plants were set up with solar panels it could offset the cost. Without looking into new sustainable solutions, we will continue to see our water levels recede.