Why America's Most Important River Is Dying

The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon, waters more than 40 million people, and grows most of America's winter vegetables, yet today it barely reaches the sea. From its source high in the Rocky Mountains to its dried-up delta in Mexico, from John Wesley Powell's warning and a 1922 water deal built on bad math to Hoover Dam and the drowning of Glen Canyon, this is the story of how one river built the American Southwest, and why it's dying. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:38 The Colorado River's Unexpected Journey 1:43 The River That Was Renamed 3:47 Carving the Grand Canyon 5:28 The Delta That Dried Up 6:56 The First People of the River 8:00 John Wesley Powell's Expedition 9:19 The Accidental Salton Sea 9:55 The 1922 Deal Built on Bad Math 10:45 Hoover Dam 11:27 Drowning Glen Canyon 12:26 A River That Runs on Snow 14:10 Lake Mead and Lake Powell at Record Lows 14:54 Upper States vs. Lower States 17:48 Why the Columbia River Stays Quiet 18:19 Final Thoughts Subscribe for more of the geography behind America:    / @landandconsequence   Instagram:   / landandconsequence   SOURCES & CREDITS Historical photographs and maps courtesy of the Library of Congress, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the California Historical Society, and Wikimedia Commons (public domain unless noted). "Coronado's March" by Frederic Remington (public domain). Stock footage licensed via Artgrid, Pexels and Pixabay. "Confluence of Green and Colorado Rivers" by MostlyDeserts, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Canyonlands National Park" by RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Grand Canyon Horseshoe Bend" by Thomas Wolf (www.foto-tw.de), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Colorado River from the California Zephyr" by Sarah Stierch (Missvain), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge" by Adbar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Glen Canyon area - more desert wildflowers" by Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Lake Mead and its marina in Boulder Basin" and "Wahweap Bay from Wahweap Overlook, Lake Powell" by Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Lake Powell in Arizona, USA" by W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Pueblo Grande Ruin - Hohokam Village" and "Pueblo Grande Ruin - Hohokam Arena" by Tony the Marine, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. "Clouds" by Wolfgang Staudt, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Music from the YouTube Audio Library. YOUR TURN: Is the Colorado River really America's most important river—or does that title belong to the Mississippi? Let us know what you think in the comments. #ColoradoRiver #geography #USgeography