Colorado Edition: Front row seats to the Colorado River crisis, and the Colorado River Compact turns 100

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A set of four tubes known as the "river outlet works" could soon be the only way for water to make it through Glen Canyon Dam. Without a modification to those tubes, Lake Powell could have dropped low enough to cut off Page’s drinking water supply completely.

Alex Hager

On this episode of Colorado Edition, we focus on water. We have two stories from our ongoing coverage of the Colorado River: Checking in with the people who have a front row seat to the crisis, and seeing if the Colorado River Compact is still working.

Front row seats to the Colorado River crisis: The Colorado River is drying up, and the communities that rely on it are already feeling the pinch.

While many large cities throughout the Southwest are well-positioned to weather the coming crisis, the threat of losing their water supply is no longer hypothetical in some small towns such as Page, Arizona.

Environment

In Arizona, one utility has a front row seat to Colorado River crisis

Alex Hager

In Page, Arizona, a shrinking Lake Powell is causing problems for the local water utility. A short-term fix is underway, but Page says it needs more money for a backup.

The Colorado River Compact: The Colorado River’s foundational legal document turns 100 years old this month. The agreement among seven western states was groundbreaking for its time, but as KUNC’s Luke Runyon reports, it continues to contribute to the Southwest’s water crisis.

Environment

The Colorado River Compact turns 100 years old. Is it still working?

Luke Runyon

The Colorado River's foundational agreement is 100 years old this month. And while the document among seven western states was groundbreaking for its time, it's currently left the southwest to grapple with a massive gap between water supply and demand.

These stories are part of ongoing coverage of water in the West. It’s produced by KUNC and supported by the Walton Family Foundation.

Credits

Colorado Edition is hosted by Yoselin Meza Miranda and produced by the KUNC newsroom, led by news director Sean Corcoran. Web was edited by digital editor Megan Manata.

The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast oniTunes,Spotify,Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Colorado Edition is made possible with support fromour KUNC members. Thank you!

Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show byBlue Dot Sessions.