New water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorRichter, Brian D.en
dc.contributor.authorLamsal, Gambhiren
dc.contributor.authorMarston, Landon T.en
dc.contributor.authorDhakal, Sameeren
dc.contributor.authorSangha, Laljeet Singhen
dc.contributor.authorRushforth, Richard R.en
dc.contributor.authorWei, Dongyangen
dc.contributor.authorRuddell, Benjamin L.en
dc.contributor.authorDavis, Kyle Frankelen
dc.contributor.authorHernandez-Cruz, Astriden
dc.contributor.authorSandoval-Solis, Samuelen
dc.contributor.authorSchmidt, John C.en
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-28T16:13:00Zen
dc.date.available2024-05-28T16:13:00Zen
dc.date.issued2024-03-28en
dc.description.abstractPersistent overuse of water supplies from the Colorado River during recent decades has substantially depleted large storage reservoirs and triggered mandatory cutbacks in water use. The river holds critical importance to more than 40 million people and more than two million hectares of cropland. Therefore, a full accounting of where the river’s water goes en route to its delta is necessary. Detailed knowledge of how and where the river’s water is used can aid design of strategies and plans for bringing water use into balance with available supplies. Here we apply authoritative primary data sources and modeled crop and riparian/wetland evapotranspiration estimates to compile a water budget based on average consumptive water use during 2000–2019. Overall water consumption includes both direct human uses in the municipal, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors, as well as indirect water losses to reservoir evaporation and water consumed through riparian/wetland evapotranspiration. Irrigated agriculture is responsible for 74% of direct human uses and 52% of overall water consumption. Water consumed for agriculture amounts to three times all other direct uses combined. Cattle feed crops including alfalfa and other grass hays account for 46% of all direct water consumption.en
dc.description.sponsorshipG.L., L.M., and K.F.D. acknowledge support by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant 2022-67019-37180. L.T.M. acknowledges the support the National Science Foundation grant CBET-2144169 and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Grant No. FF-NIA19-0000000084. R.R.R. acknowledges the support the National Science Foundation grant CBET- 2115169.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationRichter, B.D., Lamsal, G., Marston, L. et al. New water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. Commun Earth Environ 5, 134 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01291-0en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01291-0en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/119137en
dc.identifier.volume5en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherSpringer Natureen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.titleNew water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the seaen
dc.title.serialCommunications Earth & Environmenten
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
s43247-024-01291-0.pdf
Size:
2.47 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.5 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Scholarly Works, Civil and Environmental Engineering