it may not look like much
stream of cold water is t
Colorado River. The water
on Lipitor Pass in Rocky
Park and then flow south
Lake Granby. It's here in
of the water gets diverte
downstream, it gets pumpe
of tunnels to homes and b
side of the mountains. In
the Colorado River only f
side of the continental d
of the water that we use
comes from the river. Mhm
conservation groups conce
this river has been calle
and it's because it's so
american southwest and Me
is the wilderness and pub
for Conservation Colorado
impacts of climate change
a little more iffy and ma
each year. You know, this
danger of being over allo
because Colorado is at th
river, we don't always se
in the river that those l
Utah Arizona and Californ
sort of trends continue a
going to find ourselves i
there's not enough water
is no denying that. This
It's the fifth longest ri
none of it would be made
snowpack from the Rocky m
in the winter, colorado's
mountains are more than j
and backcountry hikers. Y
storage facility for wate
from that snowpack flows
All along the river's cou
its way into the colorado
southwest from Granby to
springs. From here in Gle
west to Grand Junction an
Grand is the name of the
we know as the colorado R
the Grand River? Think ab
Junction, the Grand Canyo
no coincidence. And once
in Glenwood, it is then j
of the roaring fork. From
about 90 miles to Grand J
border where the landscap
begin to take on even mor
The Utah portion of the r
on the colorado plateau b
The water sweeps by arche
National parks, both amaz
into canyons and maces by
green rivers, which combi
after those rivers combin
Lake Powell, The lake for
glen canyon dam. Lake Pow
with more than nine 1800
So it's from the air wher
vantage point. This secti
is the historic Colorado
lake is probably the larg
in this part of the count
all the infrastructure to
voting and recreation is
The Colorado River, you k
water in the Lake Powell
you know, it's what fills
it's absolutely that, tha
river, the two major trib
number one for sure. So f
was built to now, I'm not
really recognize what the
the growth that it has sp
Glen canyon was not the f
dam and reservoir. That s
to me because we could ha
right now in Colorado Par
Billy Shot says the first
a dam along the Green Riv
in colorado's dinosaur na
a giant reservoir by fill
AMP a river valleys. Ther
organized in political fi
getting washed under. It
a lot of different, well
in the west and starting
use and especially how wa
is used in parts of the f
up the upper basin of the
colorado, new Mexico Utah
the green River starts be
Before that water gets to
it passes a critical poin
is just downstream from G
this is the spot where th
into two basins for water
upper basin, which eric j
parts of Utah, Arizona, n
and Wyoming. There's also
includes other parts of U
Mexico, as well as parts
Water rights laws regardi
are as complicated as the
the Colorado River compac
river into these two basi
law in 1922. Once the riv
and makes its way through
to wind its way through t
Canyon. It's taken the Co
six million years to carv
in northern Arizona after
the colorado stops here,
and when it's a capacity,
reservoirs in the nation.
long drought can be seen
of Lake Mead. In fact whe
is a boat launch ramp tha
because of low water leve
when you could launch all
sometime this week or lat
hit elevation about 10 71
and that's the lowest the
since it was filled back
One way you can tell the
as this, what park offici
ring, a stark contrast an
shows where the water use
Colorado River system is
last time Lake Mead was e
more than 20 years ago. H
Lake Mead, we're down to
This is the effect of 21
of drought. Nevada is one
depend on water from this
states are working on con
to address the decreasing
to figure out methodologi
or keep protection level
this reservoir. So we don
really significant cuts w
Hoover Dam serves water e
base into the colorado, w
of California, Arizona, n
Including Las Vegas, 90%
in Las Vegas comes from L
about an hour away from t
may be hard to believe, b
is used for residential a
casinos. All the hotels h
Just about all the water
the bellagio here is capt
then reused or sent back
have cleaned it up so muc
they recycle and reuse fo
and homeowners and surrou
can put some back in Lake
low and more people movin
is on everyone's mind. I
always be here. I think t
that Lake Mead is ever go
we continue to face chall
We continue to face chall
change. We're doing a lot
how that's altered the wa
and the rains have come.
like me, it's going anywh
dam. The Colorado River t
through the gambling town