RadioEd

RadioEd


The Colorado River: A Political Climate Crisis

September 20, 2022

The Colorado River is drying. And that's a problem for the people and businesses that reside in the seven states that make up the Colorado River Basin. Among the varied issues are the environmental costs of having to use less water—a problem that affects not just day-to-day at-home life, but also could mean significant changes for farmers and ranchers, who depend on water to grow crops and feed livestock. The question of who gets to use the river's dwindling water supply is also up in the air: States disagree on which areas should get the bulk of the water. This creates a bit of a legal brouhaha for the states and the federal government, whose job it has become to sort out the whole mess. We speak with reporter Alex Hager and DU Law Professor Kevin Lynch about the legal and environmental problems that have become integral parts of the Colorado River crisis.