>> >>AMITA: ROBERT REDFORD AND HIS SON JAMES REDFORD HAVE PRODUCE AD NEW DOCUMENTARY CALLED
WATERSHED, EXPLORING A NEW WATER ETHIC FOR THE NEW WEST.
HE JOINS ME NOW BY PHONE.
MR.ﾊREDFORD, WHAT DO PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLORADO RIVER AND HOW EDUCATED
DO YOU THINK THEY ACTUALLY ARE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE RIVER?
>> >>ROBERT REDFORD: I DON'T KNOW HOW EDUCATED THEY ARE BECAUSE THAT WOULD TAKE SOME KIND
OF POLLING THAT I'M NOT CAPABLE OF DOING, BUT I THINK THE MAIN THING FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW
WHO PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO CONSIDER THE COLORADO RIVER AN AMERICAN ICON, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE
DO, IT'S SORT OF CLASSIFIED AS A SYMBOL OF AMERICA, AND THE BEAUTY AND GOOD OF AMERICA,
THAT IT NO LONGER REACHES ITS DESTINATION.
COLORADO RIVER NO LONGER REACHES THE SEA OF CORTEZ, THE SEA OF CALIFORNIA, AND I DON'T
THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT.
THAT'S A SIGN OF SOMETHING BIGGER WHICH IS CHANGE.
I THINK THAT CHANGE IS INEVITABLE DESPITE PEOPLE THAT ARE SEEM TO BE AFRAID OF CHANGE.
IT IS INEVITABLE.
IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND IT'S HAPPENING NOW VERY BIG AND VERY FAST.
CERTAIN THINGS ARE DISAPPEARING OR SHRINKING THAT WOULD BE A SHOCK TO US TO LEARN ABOUT
BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING SO FAST.
THIS IS ONE OF THEM.
AND I THINK THERE'S A SOLUTION TO THIS.
I THINK THAT'S THE PLANE THING TO TALK ABOUT MAIN THING TO TALK ABOUT IS YOU DON'T WANT
TO INTRODUCE SOMETHING THAT THERE'S NO HOPE FOR.
I DON'T THINK AMERICA DOES WELL WITH THAT.
WE WANT TO KNOW WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE DEDO SOMETHING ABOUT BECAUSE WE CAN RESTORE THE COLORADO RIVER
TO ITS DESTINATION.
IF PEOPLE GET SOME FACTS.
AND IN THE FILM I THINK DELIVERS ALL THAT INFORMATION AND THE FACTS OF WHAT PEOPLE CAN
DO ABOUT IT.
>> >>AMITA: AND WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?
>> >>ROBERT REDFORD: WELL, THE FIRST THING IS YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS IS OBVIOUSLY AN
ISSUE OF DEMAND EXCEEDING SUPPLY.
SO WHAT IS THAT DEMAND?
WHAT ABOUT THAT DEMAND AS YOU LOOK AT THAT EQUATION?
WHO REPRESENTS THE DEMAND AND THERE'S SOME ISSUES THERE, SOME PARTICIPANTS THAT PROBABLY
DON'T NEED T.THERE'S CERTAIN POWER PLANTS THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF WATER, THAT MAYBE SHOULDN'T
EVEN BE THERE.
IF THEY ARE THERE, THEY CAN REORGANIZE THEIR STRUCTURES TO NOT USE SO MUCH WATER.
LOOK AT HOW WATER IS USED AND LOOK AT THE WASTE ISSUE OF HOW WATT SR USED.
BECAUSE WE WASTE A LOT OF WATER AND THE FILM SHOWS HOW WE WASTE THAT WATER.
LOOK AT THE SUPPLY.
LOOK AT EXACTLY WHAT THAT WATER DOES AND WHAT IT SUPPLIES AND WHAT VALUES IT HAS IN TERMS
OF WHAT IT DOES SUPPLY.
AND WHAT WASTE IS EXERCISED WITH USING WATER THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY NEEDED, HOW MUCH WATER
DO YOU NEED FOR GOLF COURSES, HOW MANY GOLF COURSES DO YOU NEED?
I LOVE GOLF, BUT WE'RE AT A POINT NOW WHERE WE CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING WE USED TO HAVE OTHERWISE
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE NOTHING.
ALSO KNOWING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE COLORADO RIVER DELTA WATER TRUST.
ANY DONATION OF ANY KIND WHEN IT GAINS MOMENTUM WILL HELP RAISE THE MONEY TO BUY WATER RIGHTS
BACK FROM AGRICULTURE TO PUT WATER BACK INTO ITS DESTINATION.
>> >>AMITA: SO THIS DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES A NEW WATER ETHIC.
WHAT IS THAT NEW ETHIC?
>> >>ROBERT REDFORD: IT'S HOW WATERﾊ THE WATER ETHIC IS LOOKING HARD AT WATER.
DON'T LOOK AT WATER THE WAY WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT FOR THE PAST CENTURY OR MORE, IT'S THERE
FOREVER.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE FOR US.
THEREFORE WE CAN USE IT TO ABUNDANCE.
WE CAN USE IT ANY WHICH WAY WE WANT BECAUSE THERE'S PLENTY OF IT AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE
THERE.
WELL, IT WON'T.
THEREFORE WE BETTER TAKE A HARD LOOK AT WATER TO CREATE A NEW ETHIC RATHER THAN ANYTHINGﾊ
EVERYTHING AT ALL AT ALL TIMES, WE HAVE TO BE MORE CONSERVATIVE.
WE HAVE TO CONSERVE OUR EFFORTS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE SUCH A PRICELESS RESOURCE.
WITHOUT WATER, WE DON'T EXIST.
>> >>AMITA: WHO ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO TELL THIS STORY ABOUT THE COLORADO RIVER IN
THIS DOCUMENTARY?
>> >>ROBERT REDFORD: SEVEN STATE ARE REPRESENTED BY THE COLORADO RIVER, SEVEN STATE USE THAT
WATER.
THAT'S A PRETTY BIG IMPACT.
YOU LOOK AT RANCHERS YOU LOOK AT AGRICULTURAL, YOU LOOK AT FARMERS THAT ACTUALLY DEPEND ON
THE WATER FOR THEIR OWN SUSTENANCE, SOMETIMES FIVE GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE, HOW THEY USE THAT
WATER, SOME USE IT JUDICIOUSLY, YOU HAVE A BIKE SHOP IN LOS ANGELES ABOUT HOW WATER MEANS
TO HIM.
LOS ANGELES IS DEPENDENT ON THAT WATER AND SAN DIEGO IS DEPENDENT ON THAT WATER.
THERE ARE ALL THESE CITIES THAT ARE DEPENDENT ON THAT WATER AND WE TAKE A LOOK AT WHO SOME
OF THOSE CITIES ARE AND HOW THAT WATER IS BEING USED, BUT ALSO HOW IT'S BEING WASTED.
WHEN YOU GO INTO COLORADO AND GO INTO A LITTLE TOWN LIKE RIFLE, WHICH HAS AN INCREDIBLE MAYOR,
HE TALKS ABOUT HOW MUCH WATT SR USED TO EXTRACT OIL OR GAS OUT OF THE EARTH.
PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION.
I THINK PEOPLE JUST TEND TO NOT KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON OUT THERE.
IT'S TIME WE START PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT IS BEING THREATENED AND WHAT IS SHRINKING
AND WHAT MAY GO AHEAD.
>> >>AMITA: WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WRAP IT THERE, I'M SORRY TO HAVE TO INTERRUPT YOU.
>> >>ROBERT REDFORD: THAT'S OKAY.
>> >>AMITA: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> >>ROBERT REDFORD: YOU'RE WELCOME.