Parched

Across the U.S.-Mexico border, the Colorado River once flowed freely into the ocean. When the freshwater and saltwater met, it created an explosion of life in the desert. But most of that lushness dried up when people used up the river. We meet people who have worked for decades to restore parts of the delta's lost wetlands. They created a historic agreement between the two countries that designat...

Crops like alfalfa that feed cows are the biggest user of the Colorado River, to satisfy our cravings for nachos and burgers. Cutting back on farms' water use is the biggest way we can live in a drier West. One Indigenous farm manager is trying to do it — to grow food with much less water. His story reveals how to get other farms to be more efficient, too, in part by changing what and how they gro...

If we turned off every tap in every city in the southwest, we still wouldn't solve the Colorado River crisis. That's because 80 percent of the water goes to agriculture — to the lettuce and melons in your produce section, the half-and-half you put in your coffee every morning. Those farmers have some of the preeminent rights to the river. So what if the government paid them to keep their water in...

What we pay for water doesn't reflect how scarce it is with climate change. Could cities get people to use less water by charging more for it? Decades ago, Tucson did this, and it worked. But the political consequences may have scared off other cities. Now, in an increasingly dire situation along the Colorado River, what if a bunch of cities priced water differently, to change our behavior? Part 7...

Americans flush toilets with water that's good enough to drink. We could cut how much water cities need if we reused that water, or flushed without sapping our fresh mountain supplies. From at-home solutions to citywide scale, wastewater reuse and recycling are gaining momentum, and could be on the verge of a breakthrough.  Part 6 of a 10-part series. For more CPR News coverage of the Colorado Riv...

Across the country, headlines this week touted a "deal" to save the Colorado River. In this bonus episode, we'll break it down: What you need to know, and what it means for the solutions we're exploring on Parched. Come back next week for our regular storytelling about people and places along the river. Host: Michael Elizabeth Sakas with Ryan Warner Written by Rachel Estabrook Editors: Erin Jones...

Most people in the West live in cities, and cities can do a lot to change how they use water. We head deep into the glittery, neon heart of Las Vegas. There, under the Bellagio Fountain, we learn that this city of excess is a world leader in water conservation. What is Vegas doing, and how might people who live in other Colorado River cities follow its lead? Part 5 of a 10-part series. For more CP...

On the beach in Southern California, it's easy to look at the Pacific Ocean and wonder what would happen if we could drink it. It's already happening in some places, and others from Arizona to the California coast want to expand desalination. If big cities there use more of the ocean and less of the Colorado River, would that leave more water for the southwest? Part 4 of a 10-part series. For more...

What if we could get more water, instead of just living with less? The idea of pulling water from another river, like the Mississippi, has tantalized people in the southwest for decades. We meet a farmer in Arizona who's become today's big champion for this big idea. Also, an engineer in Colorado and someone with an up-close view of the Mississippi explain what it would take to bring more water to...

Indigenous tribes lived with the water's flow for thousands of years. Then, they were shut out of decision making about the Colorado River. In this episode, we go to the Jicarilla Apache Reservation to learn what that's meant for tribes, and how it's contributed to the river drying up. We also meet someone from a very different background in Boulder, Colorado. Together these men are urgently tryin...

The U.S. southwest is in a water crisis; it's a front line of climate change. This show takes you to places that rely on the Colorado River, to explore what we can do to ensure life in the region as it dries out. In this first episode, we get high up in the Rocky Mountains to see where our water comes from, and see ground zero for our water problems — the Hoover Dam — where we meet someone who pre...

The southwestern United States has been in a drought for more than 20 years. It's created a serious problem for the Colorado River, and tens of millions of people who use water from it. Parched is a podcast about people who rely on the river that shaped the West – and have ideas to save it. Michael Elizabeth Sakas, a water reporter for Colorado Public Radio, takes you on a journey to explore some...