Like Eugene Clyde LaRue, a federal hydrologist who raised red flags in 1916, again in 1920 and then again in 1925. They agreed to return in 40 years and split up whatever water remained in the river.Ī few people saw the signs and wrote about them. Some fine print and future negotiations gave the lower basin another million acre-feet (totaling 8.5 million) and set aside 1.5 million acre-feet for Mexico, the river’s last stop before pouring into the Sea of Cortez.ĭuring the negotiations, representatives from each state and the federal government assumed the river would flow with an average of up to 18 million acre-feet, Jennifer Gimbel, interim director of CSU’s Water Center, said. The forest behind the boat storage yard still shows scars of the East Troublesome fire. RIGHT: Brooks Geyen fixes a leaky roof on his houseboat parked in storage at Indian Peaks Marina on July 2, 2022, in Granby, Colorado. In 2020, the East Troublesome fire moved quickly through the area and burned more than 120,000 acres in a single day. LEFT: Wildflowers bloom in the burn scar of the East Troublesome fire in Rocky Mountain National Park, a few miles from the headwaters of the Colorado River on July 20, 2022. So do the lower-basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada. Upper-basin states, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, receive a total of 7.5 million acre-feet from the river. It measures water in acre-feet - a volume equal to a year’s worth for two families of four - and splits the river in half. On its face, the 1922 Colorado River Compact is fairly simple. “We thought we could engineer nature… Huge mistake.” “There is no other answer,” Mueller said. But they’ll have to cut deeper and learn a new way to split the river, Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River District, said. Melted snow rushes down a creek bed to the Colorado River near its headwaters on July 12, 2022, in Rocky Mountain National Park.Ĭities, counties and states cut their water use multiple times in the last 20 years. Then came the historic - and ongoing - drought that started in 2000, made even worse by a drying climate. Within just a few generations, the West’s thirst for water outpaced its supply. RELATED: 5 key facts about the rapidly drying Colorado River (a quick read) And they excluded dozens of Native American tribes from negotiating for their fair share. They imposed rigid standards and deadlines on one of the world’s wildest rivers. The framers of that compact overestimated the amount of water available, most experts agree. The pass divides the headwaters of La Poudre Pass Creek, which joins the Cache Le Poudre River and eventually drains into the Gulf of Mexico. The headwaters of the Colorado River begin southwest of Long Draw Reservoir above 10,000 feet, on the border between Larimer and Grand counties. Brown slushy snow starts to melt near the top of La Poudre Pass at the headwaters of the Colorado River on May 11, 2022. But their agreement, the 1922 Colorado River Compact, eventually also steered the region toward disaster. Those seven states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming - tapped into the river ad unlocked the American West. “They knew better and they did it anyway.” “They knew this was a problem and they elected to kick the can down the road,” Brad Udall, water and climate scientist at Colorado State University, said. Hydrologists warned this would happen generations ago, though politicians and government officials failed to listen or decided not to. The seven states relying on water from the Colorado River Basin are drawing too much. Less boating, white water rafting, swimming. Higher electricity and grocery bills, too. The kids are looked after with two lots of ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.That likely means less water for major cities like Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego. The five-star ANCAP safety rating dates back to 2017, with seven airbags, ABS and stability controls, blind-spot monitoring, forward auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection, reverse cross-traffic alert and lane departure warning. It also features a fairly comprehensive (if confusing set) of screens detailing the way the car is using its two energy sources and brims with largely unreadable statistics, at least until you dive into the owner’s manual. For your nearly sixty grand on-the-road you get 18-inch alloy wheels, an eight-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, front, side and reversing cameras, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, wireless phone charging pad, part-digital dashboard, adaptive cruise control, electric and heated front seats, sat-nav, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, head-up display and a tyre repair kit.Īn 8.0-inch touchscreen runs a tired old media system but does provide Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
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