The American Nile

3 Key Facts
1. The Colorado river no longer reaches the ocean.
2. Over 3 billion people do not have any water
sanitization.
3. 1,400 people die every day due to lack of water
or water born disease.

The American Nile

The Colorado river is slowing down. The Colorado river has not
flowed into the ocean since the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in
1966. The Colorado river has not flowed into the Sea of Cortez in
Mexico since 1998. Farming is one of the causes of the river running
dry. Farming of wheat, hay, cotton and citrus fruits use about 70% of
the Colorado's River Basins water. In reservoirs, 15% of the basins
water is evaporated into air every year.
The Colorado river supplies 36 million Americans with water.
Even though the river does not reach the delta, the groundwater still
makes the delta a scenic and wild place. There are nearly 100 dams on
the Colorado river. The Glen Canyon Dam is the largest, being 710 feet
tall. Many fish in the Colorado River Basin are now endangered
because the dams dump cold subsurface waters back on to the warm
surface waters, cooling the temperature of the river.

Why is Water Important?

The Colorado river is drying up. A increase of population, farming
and over use are the causes for the water shortage. Dams are also a cause of
the water shortage, over 100 dams have been built on the Colorado river.
Farming uses 70% of the water while another 15% is evaporated from
reservoirs.
We can fix the Colorado river by using less of its water. We can waste
less water that we use for pools or our lawns. We can also make changes to
dams or remove some dams to increase the river flow to make the Colorado
river reach the deltas and the ocean once again.