Fight over water intensifies as Colorado River dries up

Deutsche Welle (DW)CenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by Sarah SteffenOctober 25, 2025 at 04:26 PM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

The Colorado River, which supplies water to over 40 million people across seven US states and Mexico, is facing severe depletion due to prolonged drought and rising temperatures. Lakes Mead and Powell, its largest reservoirs, are critically low, threatening hydropower generation and recreation. The river basin could fall short by the equivalent of 1.8 million Olympic swimming pools next year if current consumption rates continue. This has led to high-stakes negotiations between states in the Upper Basin (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico) and Lower Basin (California, Arizona, Nevada) over how to share the dwindling water supply after current sharing rules expire in 2026. The crisis highlights issues of scarcity and complex water rights allocations.

Key Topics & Entities

Hoover Dam 30% Glen Canyon Dam 30% Utah State University 40% Mexico ×250% Gulf of California 60% Grand Canyon 60% Denver 70% Los Angeles ×270% Colorado River ×980%

Keywords

colorado river 100% water scarcity 90% climate change 80% hydropower generation 70% water security 60% water rights 60% negotiations 50% drought 50% overuse 40% reservoirs 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Deutsche Welle (DW)

Political Lean

Center (-0.10)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Colorado River

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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colorado river water scarcity climate change hydropower generation water security water rights negotiations drought overuse reservoirs

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