Colorado river
- Created by: Hannah Jeffery
- Created on: 12-02-15 14:18
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- Colorado river
- basin
- most heavily used source of irrigation in the USA
- provides water for 30 million people
- 1920's 'the law of the river'
- divided river between upper basin states (Colorado, Utah etc) and lower states (California, Nevada etc) as well as mexico
- California had the largest allocation due to their large population and considerable political power
- recently changed due to new developments and legal challenges
- stakeholders
- Farmers
- receive 80% of water allocation
- federal government sell the water at 1/20 of the cost
- farmers are wasteful with irrigation and have inappropriate choice of crops
- city dwellers
- increasingly urbanised
- Arizonia is becoming more developed
- eg populated cities such as Phoenix
- Californias demand in using others fair share
- trying to combat this by reducing water supply to farmers to supply Los Angeles and San Diego
- environmentalists and recreationalists
- recreational use of lakes eg by tourists
- eg lake powell
- wakes from speedboats destroy lake banks
- recreational use of lakes eg by tourists
- Mexican people
- 90% reduction in volume of water reaching Mexico
- wetlands that use to exist on the deltas are now barren mudflats
- reduce biodiversity
- Cucupa fishermen have lots their income and have had to move elsewhere
- Indigenous groups
- native americans have claims to water based on treaties made between tribes and federal government in 1980's
- US federal government
- politicians don't water allocations changed
- Plans to line canal with concrete the increase water supply
- but seepage is important for groundwater supply
- mexico is taking more than their fare share from Rio grande
- could affect US-Mexican relations
- Farmers
- basin
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