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More than half of water from Colorado River used for agriculture industry, report finds

The Colorado River has about 19% less volume than in the year 2000.

Researchers have quantified just how much water the agriculture industry in the Western U.S. is taking from the Colorado River, one of the most important river systems in the region.

More than half of the Colorado River’s total annual water flow is being used to irrigate agricultural land, according to a paper published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment.

Waters from the Colorado River have not reached its delta in the Gulf of California for more than 50 years because nearly every drop is being consumed as the waters flow south, Brian Richter, president of Sustainable Waters, a global water education service, senior freshwater fellow at the World Wildlife Fund, told ABC News.

aniki ,

And how much of that agriculture goes towards feeding livestock? Only 12% of agriculture becomes food for humans.

awellfedworld.org/issues/hunger/feed-vs-food/

Eat. Motherfucking. Plants.

homesweethomeMrL ,

This.

Most people I know are not ready to hear this. But it’s too late now, so. Here this is.

GlitterInfection ,

In California only 10% of our water use is by consumers. A ridiculous amount of our water goes into crops that we sell to China allowing those farms to turn our water into massive profits!

During droughts here our leaders tell us to not take long showers and to not flush as often. They even pushed restaurants to stop serving water without being asked first.

And you see lots of stories about the horrible homeowners who dare to water their lawns! Oh what a wonderful distraction from the issue that one is from the fact that no amount of consumer changes can make a difference and small restrictions on corporations would solve the problem entirely!

Dasus ,
@Dasus@lemmy.world avatar

I don’t disagree with you on anything except the lawn thing.

Fuck those lawns. Keeping a 18th century style neat French lawn while living in a desert is not a good use of water.

Have a meadow instead. Keeps the water better and adds to biodiversity.

But yeah fuck those corporations. John Oliver had a good episode about water:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtxew5XUVbQ

I personally believe traditional agriculture has to shift towards more hydroponic settings. The water savings are crazy. Yeah there are a lot of problems can’t just change fields into hydros, but…

GlitterInfection ,

I agree from a general fuck lawns perspective. I hope to never rake another leaf or mow another blade of grass in my life.

In the context of my argument, though, I’m complaining about the propaganda tactic involved. They’re manipulating the public by using a subject that brings up outrage already (lawns are bad is part of it, but the bigger part is pitting the poor against the not as poor but definitely not really wealthy) in order to draw attention away from the real issue.

Dasus , (edited )
@Dasus@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, corporations pushing responsibility to the consumer. Same old annoying as fuck song.

Sean Locke on Climate Change

speedingcheese ,

Don’t get me started on how much water is lost in CA due to leaking infrastructure that they can’t be bothered to fix because water is cheap.

Link

BruceTwarzen ,

But what can we do? Torturing animals is so tasty

agent_flounder ,
@agent_flounder@lemmy.world avatar

Let’s talk about cotton farming in Arizona, too.

rockSlayer , (edited )

In this situation, it’s actually growing alfalfa in an arid climate because water access from the river is use-it-or-lose-it based on an imaginary amount of water that don’t exist.

conquer4 ,

If you can provide the water, desert is the most productive and fertile farmland in the world. But if we can’t provide the water, we will need more farmland elsewhere to make up the loss.

rockSlayer , (edited )

Alfalfa is a highly water intensive crop. The alfalfa being grown in the southwest is almost entirely exported.

agent_flounder ,
@agent_flounder@lemmy.world avatar

The whole Colorado River water thing is a fucking complicated mess that I can’t begin to understand. All kinds of weird water rights laws between farmers, ranchers and whoever, not to mention the all the use in Arizona, and fuck knows what else. Every time I read an article about disputes and such my brain melts.

LodeMike ,

Yes we know

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