The Colorado River is in crisis, as drought, growth and overuse across the West have strained it to new extremes.
Even for Utahns who don’t live in the Colorado River basin, the fate of the river matters. Thanks to a system of dams and aqueducts that divert water west to the Wasatch Front, the state estimates that 60% of Utahns benefit from the Colorado River. While extra snowpack has brought some temporary relief, the state’s largest reservoir on the river — Lake Powell — has remained less than half full.
So what happens next?
The current rules for allocating the river’s water expire in 2026, and the Upper Basin states (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico) and the Lower Basin states (California, Nevada and Arizona) haven’t been able to find common ground on a new deal — yet. The region’s Indigenous tribes are also working to make sure they’re not left out.
As Utah grows, a larger population could easily increase water demand. One of the state’s fastest-growing communities, St. George, lies within the Colorado River basin. To sustain itself, Washington County plans to stretch its water supplies by recycling sewage, ditching grass lawns and building new reservoirs and other projects.
Farmers and ranchers will play a vital role in Utah’s response, with 62% of the water Utah uses from the river basin going to agriculture. So the way they irrigate their crops, manage the health of their soil and incorporate emerging technology could all make a dent.
The health of the Colorado River system also impacts the ecosystems and endangered species that call it home as well as the recreation and tourism hotspots that local communities have built their economies on.
All of these challenges happen against the backdrop of climate change, as the river faces a future with more drought, unpredictable precipitation and extreme heat.
That’s why KUER has joined a group of Utah news, education and media organizations that are banding together for the Colorado River Collaborative. An extension of the award-winning Great Salt Lake Collaborative, it’s a solutions journalism project dedicated not only to reporting on problems but also to potential answers.
KUER and the collaborative’s other 10 newsrooms will pool resources for in-depth reporting with one goal in mind: to educate and inform people about the importance of the river, what’s at stake and what can be done to make a difference.
This article is published through the Colorado River Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative supported by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University.
