Running Dry
In times of drought, who owns water? Fault Lines travels down the Colorado River—a vital resource in danger of running dry.
'Running Dry'
The drought in the western U.S. is creating a battle over resources, as private landowners compete with the public over access to freshwater supplies.
In April, California Governor Jerry Brown announced a series of mandatory restrictions, forcing residents to reduce their water usage by 25 percent in the coming year. But the state’s powerful agriculture industry has yet to face cuts on the same scale, despite its massive role in depleting local water supplies.
It’s not just California facing a future without water. More than 40 million people across seven U.S. states and Mexico depend on the Colorado River, where demand is now exceeding supply.
Fault Lines travels down the Colorado to find out who really controls water in the West—and what, if anything, is being done to protect it.
CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Mathieu Skene, Senior Producer: Hanaan Sarhan, Correspondent: Sebastian Walker @sebwalker, Directors of Photography: Lincoln Else @LincolnElse, Singeli Agnew @singeli, Editor: Adrienne Haspel @adihaspel, Additional Photography: Spencer Chumbley @spencerchumbley, Production Manager: Dana Merwin @dana_merwin, Digital Producer: Nikhil Swaminathan @sw4mi, Production Assistance: James Pace-Cornsilk @JamesCornsilk, Zahra Rasool @RXahra, Translation: Gabriela Duran
More from this Episode
Federal river master: 'No shortages yet' on Colorado River
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López says water levels haven't reached a crisis point
- Topics:
- U.S.
- Drought USA
- Water
Interactive map: Reporting down the Colorado River
What are the consequences of this life-sustaining water source running dry?
- Topics:
- U.S.
- Drought USA
- Water
The draining of America's largest reservoir
Fault Lines' Sebastian Walker tours Lake Mead and talks to a Las Vegas official about water and the American Dream
'Running Dry'
Fault Lines travels down the Colorado River to find out who really controls the water in the west.
More on the Drought
US-Mexico water pact brings life back to Colorado River’s parched delta
A single pulse flow of water reconnects the ‘American Nile’ with the Sea of Cortez for the first time in decades
- Topics:
- Conservation
- Environment
- Borders
Water rationing may become a way of life in California drought
State sets tougher restrictions as water districts consider stricter enforcement, penalities
- Topics:
- Drought USA
- California
- Water
Western states face megadrought, experts warn
California and other Western states face worst drought in 1,000 years, say Columbia University scientists
- Topics:
- California
- Climate Change
- Texas
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