The Southwest Contends With a Crisis on the Colorado River

The Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people in seven western states, faces a crisis as its resources are stretched thin and climate change threatens its future. Its two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are both below 50% capacity, and the drying trend continues as rainfall in the region remains lower than normal. Sammy Roth interviewed Jeff Kightlinger, the general manager of Southern California's Metropolitan Water District, the entity responsible for operating the Colorado River Aqueduct and distributing water to almost 19 million people.

Kightlinger admits there are formidable challenges facing Southern California as climate change accelerates warmer and drier conditions and growing populations demand more water. He suggests that the Imperial Irrigation District (IID), which serves the Imperial Valley and uses the largest share of the Colorado River's water, must "become a responsible, reliable" partner in the Drought Contingency Plan that California and neighboring states have developed in order to manage the Colorado's limited resources. The IID wants to see more resources directed toward stabilizing the Salton Sea, a major ecological challenge for the area.

"The next 25 years look like it’s going to be a real hard haul," Kightlinger says, "but I believe it’s doable, as long as the parties can be smart and work together."