Americans today tend to believe that the Colorado River drought has been a recent occurrence, although drought relief strategies have been implemented since early 1997. To summarize, in the book The Colorado River Basin Drought Planning and Organizations, Colorado is named as the original state to acquire a drought relief plan. For instance, various assume water levels are diminutive in the Colorado and blame is due to the previous ten years of drought throughout the United States. Although it is true that water levels are at a record low, initial plans in the early 1920’s to introduce manufactured structures into the water basin is the original reason Colorado’s water system began to be compromised. It follows, then the supplementary natural …show more content…
factors; global warming, population increase, introduction of artificial features and Colorado’s snow melt factor are the chief reasons Colorado’s water is running near empty. While they rarely admit as much, preliminary plans began during the 1920’s for dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts significantly altering the free flow of the Colorado. Additionally, great engineering works began around the start of the 20th century, with key plans established in the international and United States interstate treaties known as the "Law of the River". The U.S. federal government was the foremost energy behind the construction of dams and aqueducts, although many state and local water agencies were also involved. According to the article Geotechnical Engineering for Transportation Projects resulting from the construction of manufactured elements officials in nearby western states began allocating Colorado’s water supply to nearby rapid growing cities, and began to store water for human consumption. Furthermore, following the completion of the infamous Hoover Dam in 1935 every ounce of water is currently accounted for. Additionally, water from the Colorado is assigned to nearby lakes and waterways to ensure proper water levels for human consumption and leisure. In sum, though necessary for surrounding cities construction has been opposed by numerous environmental agencies and supporters due to the adverse effects on the ecological environment, and natural beauty that has been compromised from the increase of pollution from man-made aspects. To summarize, the introduction of man-made features to the Colorado has not only provided water to rapidly growing areas, it has also dried up the lower 100 miles of the river, which has infrequently reached the sea through Mexico since the early 1960s. Researchers acknowledge the Colorado river basin as the nation’s seventh largest river. For instance, the 1,450-mile-long Colorado River drains an extensive, waterway that includes parts of seven U.S. states, and Mexico. In fact, in The Colorado: running near empty documentary speaks of the extensive reach of the Colorado as a main water source for California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and of course Colorado state. Moreover, studies have found the water coming from the Colorado supplies one in ten southwestern Americans with their daily water intake. In addition, the Colorado acts as a vital lifeline for more than solely human consumption it’s primary uses include agriculture, lakes, water storage, and the maintenance of population growth. As a result, the Colorado is now considered the most controlled rivers in the world having every drop accounted for. In discussions of water usage for recreational activities one controversial issue has been whether or not the, vast amount of water activities Colorado naturally provides compromises the water levels in the Colorado. On one hand the Colorado is well known for its sports fishing, white water rafting, and stunning scenery along the Grand Canyon. On the other hand, numerous argue that such recreational activities and local lakes, consume too much of the rivers natural flow. Others even maintain such attractions cause pollution, and destroy the natural surrounding habitat from frequent tourism. According to Sustainable Water Deliveries from the Colorado River in Changing Climate previously mentioned water activities are considered non-consumptive meaning not harmful or destructive in any manner to nature or wildlife. Likewise, the presence of tourism is vital for Colorado’s, economy providing more than 250,000 people with water tourism related employment and generating $26 billion in revenue annually. Similarly, the summer months provide additional revenue from nearby lakes Powell, Mead and Havasu whose water is provided by the Colorado. To review naturally occurring water recreational activities are not only positive for the nearby economy of Colorado, but also create employment and do not devour water or disturb the water levels of the Colorado. Ultimately upon completion of man-made structures on the Colorado river the ground water bed adjacent to the Hoover Dam was drastically compromised and had a severe effect on the surrounding plants and wildlife. In fact, the most severe effect was to native fish whose habitats were compromised by the changing water characteristic. For example, currently four species of fish are completely extinct and an additional forty species are considered high risk for extinction. Therefore, in 1988 a recovery program was introduced by the secretary of the interior, and nearby governors of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming to aid in the protection of sacred wildlife. It follows then, Sustainable Water Deliveries from the Colorado River in Changing Climate reports during the construction of the newer Glen Canyon Dam environmental organizations swore to stop any additional development of the Colorado river, and any additional number of dam or aqueduct suggestions were overpowered by unanimous citizen disapproval. Thus, such strategies include native fish stocking, provision of instream flows, habitat up keep, research monitoring and data management. Accordingly, as demands for Colorado River water continue to rise, the level of human development and control of the river continues to generate controversy. Consequently, subsequently after the introduction of synthetic structures native wildlife became compromised, and Colorado in its entirety is now the leader in threatened and endangered species recovery success stories. The Department of the Interior reports since the year 1976 Colorado has dealt with record level drought issues.
For example, then, drought is difficult to define in modern standards, it is typically classified as a shortage of water, usually associated with a deficit of rainfall. That is, drought occurs when the demand or use for water exceeds the current supply of water. It follows, then, the Colorado river drought does not solely affect one area, it’s grandeur has affected the whole southwestern United States. Additionally, the Colorado River Basin Water Management: Evaluating and Adjusting to Hydroclimatic provides information on the meager volume of rain fall. In theory, then, combined with increased temperatures from global warming, and a deficient of rainfall both circumstances have had a descending effect on most surrounding …show more content…
areas. Many southwestern United States citizens have no knowledge where their water supply comes from. Indeed, chances are the Colorado is an enormous part of daily water usage, and personal consumption. As an illustration, the article Geologic Characterization, Colorado River Bridge Foundations, Hoover Dam Bypass aids in envisioning the Rocky Mountains where the Colorado river water comes from, snow melts and flows through the Colorado Plateau and over the Grand Canyon before reaching Lake Mead on the Arizona Nevada border, where it turns south toward the international Mexico border. Likewise, the largest consumer of Colorado’s water is unexpectedly California at 27%, water is shipped from Colorado to California via the Colorado-California aqueduct. In short, the Colorado-California aqueduct seizes water from the Colorado water basin located in Lake Havasu between the California Arizona border and heads west across the Mojave and Colorado deserts to the east side of the Santa Ana Mountains, and mainly provides drinking water for all Southern Californians. Actually, the second largest consumer is the state of Colorado at 23% the majority of their water is also used for human consumption, followed by recreational usage, agriculture, water storage, and hydroelectricity. In addition, followed by the top consumers of California and Colorado, the list is followed by Arizona, Utah, Mexico, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Nevada who similarly use their water for human consumption and agricultural purposes. To summarize, as Americans we fail to realize the massive effects personal water usage has on the environment, manufactured aspects built on the Colorado river have aided nearby cities in population growth but in return has greatly compromised the majesty of the boundless river. Conventional wisdom has, it known that the earth has been experiencing radical global warming.
Also, the definition of global warming emphasizes a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere. Consequently, when it comes to the topic of the Colorado river drought a record of American citizens neglect to consider the effects of global warming related to the issue. Moreover, the Department of the Interior reports global warming, the Colorado snow melt factor, and natural population increase as the three leaders of the drought epidemic. Basically, the Department of the Interior relates global warming, and the snow melt factor as a hand in hand coordination of disaster. Naturally, as the earth’s internal temperature grows, it causes the snow from the Rocky Mountains to melt too rapidly causing the majority of snow to evaporate instead of melt gradually and stream into the Colorado river to aid in the flow of water. In fact, many are unaware of the utmost importance of the snow pack every year, also a desperate synchronization of snow melting slowly and turning into a surplus of water for all to appreciate. In addition, the natural population increase in an area causes normal resources to be taken away and creates the natural flow of water to decrease due to supply and demand. However, does the evidence I’ve cited prove conclusively who or what is at fault for the Colorado drought epidemic? Despite, the expanse of claims and statistics Americans can be
of assistance in global preservation by doing their own part on a daily basis for water conservation. In conclusion, then, the three main reasons of the Colorado river drought are an unfortunate mix of worldwide population increase, national global warming, which in turn affects the snow pack to lessen and the water to melt too quickly instead of leisurely melting into the Colorado.
The one feature common to the Hoover Dam, The Mississippi river and the three gorges dam is that they all tried to control nature’s swings, specifically in the form of flooding. Before the Hoover dam was built, the Colorado river “used to flood spectacularly…but after 1900 the Colorado provoked a vehement response” (Pg 177). The response was simple, but large. The U.S. built several large dams, including the Hoover dam, on the Colorado to decrease its flooding and increase power and irrigation. Unfortunately, just as human control of the Colorado’s flooding increased, its organisms and habitats were detrimentally influenced, and the water became more and more salinated.
The negative aspects of Glen Canyon Dam greatly exceed the positive aspects. The dam’s hydroelectric power supply is only three percent of the total power used by the six states that are served by the facility. There is a surplus of power on the Colorado Plateau and with more and more power-plants being created in the western hemisphere, Glen Canyon Dam’s power is not needed (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss). Although the ‘lake’ contains twenty seven million acre feet of water, one and a half million acre feet of water are lost yearly due to evaporation and seepage into the sandstone banks surrounding the ‘lake’ (Living Rivers: What about the water supply?). The loss of that much “water represents millions, even billions of dollars” (Farmer 183). If the government were to employ more water efficient irrigation practices, as much as five million acre feet of water per year could be saved.
“‘Glaciers covering China’s Qinghai Tibet plateau are shrinking 7% a year due to global warming and the environment consequences may be dire…’” (Doc A) I believe that this proves my statement because if the glaciers are shrinking 7% per year every year soon China will have no more water to flow from the glaciers into the rivers during the dry season. Another piece of evidence I believe supports my claim is that “The glaciers seasonal melting keeps the rivers flowing during the dry season but as the glaciers retreat more and more every year, there will be less water during the dry season.” (Doc A) this proves my claim because if there is no more water to flow into the rivers during the dry season the people of China would have to go an unsurvivable time without water. And for some final evidence “In addition the melting could cause massive flooding followed by severe drought.” (Doc A) I believe this because, Of China had flooding followed by drought, it would not only cause major destruction, but would also cause almost all agriculture in China to diminish, as well as put China’s flourishing economy to be put on hold. However this is a huge issue the biggest is saved for
The California water drought has been declared a crisis by the governor of California. 2013 was the driest year on record, and California could be running out of water. Californians should be water wise, and their use, or no use, of water will have an enormous impact on this drought. They can use the techniques published in a recent Time article called, 5 Ways to Bust California’s Drought, to reduce their water use. Landscape techniques, alternate water sources, and the personal conservation of water can reduce the use of water, and can have a positive change on this water crisis.
In the essay, “Global Warming is Eroding Glacial Ice,” Andrew C. Revkin argues that global warming is the primary cause for many of the world’s natural disasters; including flash floods, climate change, and the melting of the polar ice caps. He includes multiple accounts of expert testimony as well as a multitude amount of facts and statistics to support his theory that global warming is a threat to the world. However, in the essay “Cold Comfort for ‘Global Warming’,” Phillip Stott makes the complete opposite argument. He argues that global warming is nothing to be worried about and the melting of the polar icecaps is caused by the interglacial period we are currently in. After reading both of these essays and doing extensive research on both viewpoints, I completely agree with Revkin that global warming is an enormous threat to our world today. My research not only helped me to take a stand but it also showed me the invalidity in Stott’s essay.
Droughts in Wyoming’s future are unpredictable and uncertain; however, Richard Guldin of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Fort Collins, Colorado, has made some predictions for the water situati...
“All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster.” BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 3, 2006. Climate change is not a theory contrary to what many individuals believe and is in fact confirmed by major scientific agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. Global Warming causes are mainly due to greenhouse gases that are trapped in the atmosphere and cause depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. Carbon Dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and although it is a necessary component in our atmosphere as it helps plants perform photosynthesis, too much of it causes ozone depletion and therefore climate change. Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased tremendously after the industrial revolution, which indicates that the major cause of this issue is due to anthropogenic activities.
Water has long been a controversy in countless places worldwide and Colorado is no exception. The water rights in Colorado involve different stages within the Prior Appropriation Law; the senior and junior water rights. Senior water rights are privileges that were the first to be issued on unappropriated streams in Colorado and are to be filled before the junior water right holders. Junior water rights are similar to senior water rights, but are filled after the senior water holders take their allotted amount (Wolfe Prior Appropriation Law). The water in Colorado is just that; Colorado’s water, owned by the people and restricted by the state. However, Colorado is required by law to send over 30 million acre – feet of water to seven western states (“Missouri River”). An acre – foot is “The quantity of water required to fill one acre with one foot of water and is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet or 325,850 gallons” (“Missouri River”). The State enforces all water laws in Colorado even though they are not straightforward and are riddled with loopholes. These water laws came into effect “As early as 1879” (Hundley, Jr. 53). In the laws, there are even more constraints and idiosyncrasies including; owning ground water, owning surface water, senior rights and junior rights, and the use and reuse of rainwater or graywater. Water users in Colorado need to familiarize themselves with the laws and regulations involving water in order to receive the allotted water and the reasoning behind that number.
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
Zara Beadle METR 113 16 December 2015 Final paper California Drought The California drought has been extremely harmful to the states’ air quality. Since 2012, California has seen the worst drought conditions in 1,200 years and it is severely affecting air quality (California’s drought, 2015). As of 2015, the cities of Hanford, Merced, Modesto, Fresno, Yuba City, Lancaster-Palmdale, Chico, Sacramento, and Bakersfield have experienced exceptional drought coverage (Pestano, 2015).
According to Erik Conway of NASA, “Global warming refers to surface temperature increases, while climate change includes global warming and everything else that increasing greenhouse gas amounts will affect” (Conway). Recently the United States has experienced a drop in temperature. This past weekend I was walking with a friend. With nothing to talk about, the awkward silence was finally filled with a comment on the weather. He said, “It’s so incredibly cold! So much for global warming!!” What my friend, nor I at the beginning of the semester, did not understand was that “temperature change itself isn’t the most severe effect of changing climate. Changes to precipitation patterns and sea level are likely to have much greater human impact than the higher temperatures alone” (Conway). Thankfully the national media has begun to increasingly reference the more scientifically significant term: climate change.
A drought means there is not enough precipitation. It is a period of unusually dry weather that keeps on long enough to cause environment or economic problems which result in a water shortage and destroy vegetation, animals and crops. Drought can happen even if there is some rainfall. Bushfires and heat waves will occur because of drought. (Francesca.F, 2000)
Already scientists have observed that more than 75% of the recent economic losses are caused by natural hazards which can be attributed to wind storms, floods, droughts and other climate related hazards. In the year 2008, the U.S. state of Iowa was on the front pages of newspapers all around the world. Weeks of heavy rain in the Midwest caused rivers to swell and levees to break. Millions of acres of farmland are now underwater, their plantings most likely destroyed. By March, Iowa had tied its third-highest monthly snowfall in 121 years of record keeping, and then came the rain. April’s st...
(2009). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Drought - a fact sheet. Retrieved from: http://www.ifad.org/lrkm/factsheet/cc.pdf The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, (2007).
Many scientific studies also show increases in the intensity, duration, and extent of droughts, higher atmospheric temperatures, warmer sea surface temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and diminishing glaciers and snowpack. The bottom line is that causes of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions, will have to be minimized if people want to do as much as possible to solve the water crisis. Works Cited Water demand management: the case of Zaragoza, Spain Web 25 Nov. 2014. http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/swm_cities_zaragoza_2010/pdf/final_report_swm_cities.pdf.