Question

The state of California is just recovering from a drought. The drought highlighted issues of demand and supply concerning water in the state. The Colorado River supplies a bulk of the water used in the state; this year was the 85th Anniversary of the Colorado River Compact.

Chose ONLY ONE question from the four questions below and your answer should not be more than 300 words. Do not forget to include your sources.

1) What are some of the merits and limitations of the 1922 Colorado River Compact that governs the sharing of the waters of the Colorado River?

2) Should this compact be renegotiated?

3) If you were part of the 1922 delegates that signed the compact, what would have been your major area of concern?

4) Is the Colorado River at risk and needs to be saved?

Answer 1

4) Yes,the Colorado river at risk and needs to be saved.Every single drop of colorado river waer is currently spoken for, used by cities ,farm and industries across the western U.S and Mexico.In most years, the river goes dry before it reaches the Gulf of California, and demand for its water is only expected to increase as populations grow in cities across the southwest.Compounding the problem, climate change is leading to hotter and drier weather, projected to deminish the Colorado's annual flow by as much as 30% by 2050.