Bronte Wells
The Colorado River is the most endangered river in the United States, according to a 2023 report by the conservation group American Rivers. The river, which provides drinking water to millions of people, is facing a multitude of threats, including pollution, climate change, and over-extraction. The river has been so over-exploited that it runs dry before it reaches Mexico, leaving the Indigenous Cucapá, or river people, without water. The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for 40 million people, but climate change and prolonged drought have made previous allocations unsustainable.
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![Pesticides in surface waters of the upper Colorado River basin, Colorado, 1996-98 / by Nancy J. Bauch and Norman E. Spahr. 2000 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61IX47b4r9L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
Industrial pollution
The Colorado River is one of the most endangered rivers in America. It provides drinking water for millions of people and is home to over 150 species of fish. The river has been facing a water crisis due to corporate water abuse, with 80% of its water being used for agriculture and livestock production, causing about 15% of global climate pollution. Climate change has exacerbated prolonged droughts, leading to lower water levels in the river's reservoirs.
Another source of industrial pollution in the Colorado River is the oil and gas industry. From 2018 to 2021, this industry used over 3 billion gallons of freshwater for drilling in California alone. Additionally, the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has been responsible for groundwater contamination with hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen. This contamination occurred from 1951 to 1964, and cleanup efforts are currently underway, involving the transportation of contaminated water to treatment facilities in California and Arizona.
Agribusinesses, including factory farms, also contribute to industrial pollution in the Colorado River. Mega-dairies generate significant amounts of waste that is sprayed onto fields, leading to runoff into waterways. This pollution has resulted in fish kills and potential health risks for humans, including cancer linked to nitrate pollution. Pesticide residues have been detected in the river, and while there are conflicting conclusions regarding the extent of the problem, fish tissues have exceeded California's maximum residue levels for pesticides.
Overall, the Colorado River faces a combination of industrial pollution sources, including mining, oil and gas, and agribusiness activities. These pollutants threaten the health of the ecosystem and the millions of people who depend on the river for drinking water and agriculture. Addressing these issues requires targeting the region's biggest water abusers and implementing effective regulations to protect this precious resource.
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Agricultural pollution
The Colorado River is the fifth-largest river in the US, flowing 1,450 miles and providing water to seven states, 30 Native nations, and parts of Mexico. It supports over a trillion dollars in economic activity and supplies water to an estimated 40 million people.
However, the Colorado River is facing a severe crisis due to agricultural pollution and water overuse. The river's water levels have decreased significantly in recent years due to overuse and a prolonged drought driven by climate change. The river no longer reaches the sea at its Mexican terminus, and downstream states like Arizona are not receiving their expected water allocations.
Agricultural activities are a major contributor to the pollution and overuse of the Colorado River. Irrigation for cattle feed is the single largest consumptive use of the river's water, accounting for approximately 32% of its flow. Overall, agriculture accounts for 52% of the river's major consumptive uses, with alfalfa and other hay-like cattle-feed crops being the most water-intensive.
The demand for water for irrigation has been exacerbated by the region's megadrought, which has been worsened by climate change. Livestock production is also a significant contributor to climate pollution, causing about 15% of global warming. As a result of the drought and rising temperatures, evaporation rates from reservoirs have increased, further reducing the available water supply.
The overuse of water by agribusinesses and the resulting pollution have led to water scarcity for both agricultural communities and rural families. Big agribusinesses can afford to drill deeper wells to access groundwater, while many rural families' wells have run dry. This has created an uncertain future for water access in these communities.
In response to the crisis, states have proposed drastic water cuts, but these fail to address the root cause of corporate water abuse by agribusinesses and the oil and gas industry. Local and federal partnerships are working on long-term solutions, and there is a growing collective desire to address the problem and manage water supplies more effectively.
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Water cuts
The Colorado River, which provides drinking water to millions of people, is one of the most endangered rivers in America. The river and its tributaries supply water to 40 million people in seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and 30 Native nations in the Basin. However, climate change has made these allocations unsustainable, and the river is shrinking. The current megadrought has worsened conditions, and states are negotiating tough water cuts.
The federal government has stepped in to address the water crisis in the Colorado River Basin. The Bureau of Reclamation is developing new rules for water use in the Basin, but these plans focus on limiting statewide water use instead of targeting the biggest water abusers. The current proposals do not adequately address the region's water woes or the root causes of the problem.
As the Colorado River continues to shrink, the risk of groundwater contamination increases. Residents along the river have expressed concerns about hexavalent chromium and other contaminants, including pesticide residues, chlorinated hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and organic and inorganic pollutants. These contaminants can cause serious health issues, including cancer, stomach upsets, convulsions, and kidney and liver damage.
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Chromium contamination
The Colorado River is one of the most endangered rivers in America. One of the key concerns for residents along the river is hexavalent chromium contamination and the potential for surface and groundwater contamination.
The Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) used hexavalent chromium to control corrosion and mould in water-cooling towers at a natural gas compressor station south of Needles from 1951 to 1964. During this period, PG&E dumped untreated wastewater into percolation beds across from its Topock Natural Gas Compressor Station. This resulted in a groundwater plume contaminated with chromium on the California side of the river near PG&E's Topock site.
The contamination was discovered in the mid-1990s, and PG&E installed more than 150 monitoring stations to measure the level and locations of the contamination. The company's scientists never recorded hexavalent chromium contamination in the Colorado River itself, but the plume is estimated to contain at least 108 million gallons with chromium concentrations as high as 12,000 parts per billion (ppb). California's drinking water standard is 50 ppb, and while the plume has not reached the river, it is moving at about one foot per year.
A cleanup plan has been proposed, which involves injecting large amounts of food-grade ethanol into the groundwater to create an underground filter. This process mimics the natural process by which hexavalent chromium converts to its non-toxic trivalent form. The California Department of Toxic Substances approved an interim remediation plan in 2004, and the company has cleaned up about 25% of the contamination through this process. However, it is not considered a viable long-term strategy. The proposed cleanup strategy could take up to 30 years to decontaminate the river fully.
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Climate change
The Colorado River is the most endangered waterway in the US, according to a 2023 report by the conservation group American Rivers. The river, which provides drinking water for millions of people, is facing a combination of threats, including climate change, pollution, and over-extraction of water.
The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for 40 million people in seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and 30 Native nations. However, the allocations decided upon in the 1922 Colorado River Pact have become unsustainable due to climate change. In recent years, withdrawals have far exceeded supply, with an average surplus withdrawal of 1.4 billion cubic meters.
The current megadrought in the region has further exacerbated the problem, with states proposing drastic water cuts that fail to address the root issue of corporate water abuse. Agribusiness and the oil and gas industry are among the biggest water abusers, and climate change is making dry periods more frequent and intense, further shrinking the river. Livestock production, which causes about 15% of global climate pollution, and the drilling of fossil fuels contribute to the warming of the planet and the intensification of droughts.
While there have been efforts to protect and improve the water quality of the Colorado River, such as the Lower Colorado River Water Quality Partnership, the river remains under significant stress from the combined impacts of climate change, pollution, and over-extraction.
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Frequently asked questions
The Colorado River is considered the most endangered river in the US. It is facing a crisis due to climate change, corporate water abuse, and industrial pollution.
Sources of pollution in the Colorado River include agricultural stormwater runoff, irrigation return flows, and certain water management activities associated with the storage or delivery of water. Urban and suburban development, as well as industrial wastewater treatment plants, also contribute to the pollution.
Pollution in the Colorado River has led to reduced water levels and flow, severe erosion, and the contamination of water with chemicals and toxins. These impacts threaten the health of the ecosystem, including native fish and wildlife, and the communities that rely on the river for water supply and food security.
