Wayne Meulendyk

Will the Colorado River Run Dry by 2030?

This blog discusses a video questioning an impending crisis of the Colorado River, driven by climate change and unsustainable water usage. It warns that while the river won’t dry by 2030, its flow is still 20% less than it used to be. Solutions include conserving water and restoring the hydrologic cycle via infrastructure projects. Time is critical.

The video title asks:
“Will the Colorado River run dry by 2030?”

Within the video it asks: [0:19] “What’s driving this crisis?” [0:04] “What’s causing this crisis, and can it be stopped?” [0:44] “Can the Colorado River be saved?” and [0:46] “Are we running out of time?”

The video recognizes that [0:10] “The Colorado River is now a shadow of its former self.” [0:15] “It’s lost nearly 20% of its flow in the last century.” and [0:17] “Experts warn it could drop even further.”

The video blames two things: [0:21] “Climate change…” and [0:24] “Unsustainable water use for agriculture and growing cities…”

Image of simple humanoid figure surrounded by question marks. The text within the image says: "The Problem with Problems."

The video does not answer any of its raised questions,
so, let’s do that here.

[0:46] “Are we running out of time?”

This is the easiest question to answer. The short answer is: YES. The good news is that it is never too late to do something, so start now.

“Will the Colorado River run dry by 2030?”

The Colorado River will not dry up by 2030. It has a grand supply of moisture from the north which is still being deposited into the Colorado Mountains and feeding the river, but the river flow will continue to be 20% less than its historical flow because of a broken southern hydrologic cycle (continue reading to learn more on this issue).

Image displaying chart showing the forecast pool storage for LAke Mead.

“Will the Lake Mead dry up by 2030?”

While the river itself will not dry up, the reservoirs are a different story. Looking at the surface level of Lake Mead, it is obvious that the lake is dwindling fast. The basin can be viewed as a ‘martini glass’ in shape. This means that instead of thinking in terms of surface level, we should be thinking in terms of storage volume. The lake level has dropped an average of 5.4ft/yr, the pool storage (the amount of available water) has been reduced by an average 636.4k acre-feet of water per year. Doing the simple math, at this rate the Lake Mead will be at dead-pool by 2034. That is only 10-years into our future.

Image of seashore with boat and words reading: "We can't fix all problems, but we must fix the ones we can."

[0:04] “What’s causing this crisis,…?”
[0:19] “What’s driving this crisis?”

The video is correct on its two causes.

1. [0:24] “Unsustainable water use for agriculture and growing cities…”

There is an old adage that says: “It’s not nice to steal from Mother Nature.” What goes unsaid here is that Mother Nature will get her revenge if you do steal from her.

Overextraction of water.

The limit of water which can be taken from any source in a year is the amount which can be replenished in the next year. If you take more there will be a shortage in the future, and unintended consequences.

Ground Water.

Water extracted from underground aquifers is constantly being replenished each year, but if more is taken than replenished the well can run dry and the ground can collapse. These things are happening.

River Water.

Taking all the fresh water out of the river before it reaches the ocean can be considered a wise use of the resource, but it ignores the harm the dry delta causes. In a river smaller than the Colorado River, the delta is small. The Colorado River Delta covered 3,000 square-miles. It was a verdant green natural wetland which pumped huge amounts of moisture into the water cycle. Since 1936, the Colorado River flow was stopped at Mexicali, Baja, MX. This lack of river flow changed the delta into a 3,000 square-mile dead brown desert. This local-climate-change is the primary cause of the dry Laguna Salada, the shrining Salton Sea, the lower surface level of the Great Salt Lake, the 20% reduced snowpack in the Colorado Mountains, and thus the 20% reduced flow of the Colorado River.

Image of a green verdant land turning to desert by process of aridification.

2. [0:21] “Climate change…”

The main culprit here is the local-climate-change in the Colorado river Delta. This one manmade catastrophe is the driving force in the aridification of the SW-USA.

Image of a man looking at a complex problem and seeing the solution.

[0:04] “… Can it be stopped?”

The short answer is: YES, if…

Let’s fix the problem.

There are two ways to fix the problem.

1. Stop taking freshwater out of the watershed.

2. Repair the water cycle.

To replace the lost moisture input, we must replicate the lost water cycle. Can humans replicate a water cycle? This sounds like a big task; nigh on to impossible. Well, if man can break it, he should be able to fix it. Yes, humans can fix it, and it is a viable option. The cost of constructing, operating, and maintaining this project is considerable, but it can be collected from a water-use-fee imposed on those who broke the water cycle, the users of Colorado River water, as they continue to move water out of the watershed.

Because this operation spans multiple US states, it must be coordinated by the US government. Fortunately, the government already has an agency in place for this: The US Bureau of Reclamation. This type of project is fully within their mission: “The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.”

The plan to replace the hydrologic cycle.

Image of a map showing the dry dead desert which is now the Colorado River Delta.

1. Colorado River Delta > Laguna Salada.

The plan begins here, with some agreement from Mexico, the flow of the Coyote Canal will be reversed. The Coyote Canal was installed as an overflow path for Laguna Salada. Today, with Laguna Salada being dry, overflow is not a problem. Refilling Laguna Salada will provide a shallow, warm body of saltwater, with a large surface area, to be an atmosphere moisture generator for the water cycle. By increasing the length of Coyote Canal, moisture can reach more parts of the desert delta on its way to Laguna Salada, thus providing hydration to more land, and more opportunity to infuse the atmosphere with moisture.

2. Laguna Salada > Salton Sea.

3. Salton Sea > Great Basin.

The surface level of the Salton Sea can be maintained at its 1950s level by the metered flow of the Coyote Canal. The saltwater entering the Salton Sea will reduce the salinity of the Salton Sea. Over time the salinity and agricultural pollution of the Salton Sea will be reduced by the flowthrough of water into the Great Basin. At the same time the Salton Sea will once again become a place for people to work and play.

At this point we consider that the increased moisture in the Colorado River Delta, the refilled Laguan Salada, and the increased surface level of Salton Sea will return some moisture in this hydrologic cycle. Some of this will be directed toward the Seria Nevada mountains. Hopefully enough to return the snowpack to its pre-1955 normal. Predicting water cycle activity is difficult because of the many factors involved; regardless, by returning the moisture, some improvement will occur, and some is better than none.

Image of the Hydrologic Cycle depicted in a graphic.

4. Great Basin > Great Salt Lake.

The Salton Sea water pumped into the Great Basin will reside in a currently dry depression, where natural processes take over. No human hands are needed for evaporation to remove freshwater into the atmosphere and leave behind the salt and pollutants. The natural processes of the water cycle within the Great Basin will move the freshwater around and deposit it into the Great Salt Lake. The surface level of the Great Salt Lake is the gauge which will determine the amount of water imported into the Great Basin.

5. Great Salt Lake > Colorado Mountains.

No human hands are needed for this part. By returning the moisture into the Great Basin and the Great Salt Lake, the original hydrologic cycle will be restored. The Colorado Mountains will be receiving enough moisture to return full flow to all 158 named rivers originating in those mountains.

Image of balaclava hooded robber stealing from Mother Nature

Conclusion.

Adding infrastructure to California will not solve the root problem. We cannot rob Mother Nature without receiving a punishment. This broken water cycle is our penalty for years of robbing Mother Nature. Let’s not accept the new normal. Let’s resist the aridification of the SW-USA and the Colorado River Watershed. Let’s put the US Bureau of Reclamation to work within their assigned mission. One last thing, once the river is returned to full flow, let’s allow a constant flow into the Colorado River Delta, returning to Mother Nature her share.

Proponent.

Move the Water! is the proposed initiative of Active Climate Rescue Initiative. Active Climate Rescue Initiative is founded to actively rescue our climate by encouraging positive climate change through water relocation into earth’s water deficit areas. Anyplace in the world where there is a dry depression is a place where there is a moisture deficit. These places are the key to reversing climate change. By infusing these places with water from an open flow inlet, moisture can be reintroduced into the local environment through hydrologic processes. Active Climate Rescue Initiative is a Michigan Non-Profit Corporation approved by the USA IRS as a 501.c.3 Public Charity.

Help Reverse Climate Change.

Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.

Lake Mead Fails to Recover

Lake Mead is critically low, dropping significantly since 1998, and may reach a dead-pool status by 2034 due to mismanagement and permanent aridification. The video emphasizes the importance of repairing the Colorado River’s water cycle by reintroducing moisture to the delta, addressing the ongoing ecological crisis with proposed initiatives for restoration.

A Bleak Report on the Lake Mead’s Level.

In this video it is reported that Lake Mead is [5:19] “… at 1068, which is 2/3 down volumetrically…” from completely full. It is also reported that Lake Mead did not [0:11] “… recover the same amount of water that it lost last year….” The video states that [1:12] “Since the start of the 21st Century Lake Mead has been consistently going down…” and [3:58] the amount [the surface level] goes down each year increases the further down it goes….” All in all, this video forecasts a bleak future for Lake Mead. It is refreshing to hear someone honestly report the plain facts.

Chart displaying Low/Average/High Lake Mead Surface Elevation.

Permanent Aridification.

The population needs to be educated so they can accept the dismal future which appears inevitable. This problem of the reduced Colorado River flow rate was first blamed on a drought. Next it was explained to be a result of domino-droughts, and then the mega-drought. All this happened and now the final stage is permanent aridification.

Image of chart displaying a forecast of Lake Mead Elevation Levels.

Simple Math.

Let’s apply some simple math to this. Lake Mead’s level has been on a downward trend since 1998. We also know that Intake #1 is at elevation 1055 and [3:26] “currently it is at about 1068.” So, we’re only about 13 feet above the intake elevation. The surface level has dropped an average of 5.4ft/yr.

The 1st intake could be inoperable as soon as 2026. From there when the lake drops another 55 feet, the 2nd intake will be inoperable, estimated as 2037. Following that after the lake decreases 125 feet more the 3rd Intake will be inoperable, estimated as 2059. And after lowering the opening by 40’ the 3rd Intake will again be inoperable, estimated as 2067. Southern Nevada’s water supply is safe and secure for 2025, but it is not safe or secure in the long term.

More Simple Math.

Looking at the surface level of Lake Mead, it is obvious that the lake is dwindling, but the video brings up that [3:26] these reservoirs are not rectangular swimming pools with vertical sides. They’re flooded Canyons. They get more … narrow the further down you go. So, the volume of water held in each foot of water level further down is less than the amount that was in the foot above it.” Others call this the concept of the martini glass in relation to the shape of the reservoir. This means that instead of thinking in terms of surface level, we should be thinking in terms of storage volume. As the lake level has dropped an average of 5.4ft/yr, the pool storage, the amount of available water has been reduced by an average 636.4k acre-feet of water per year. Doing the simple math, at this rate the Lake Mead will be at dead-pool by 2034. That is only 10-years into our future.

This Math is not Simple.

The problem with this simple math is that there have been artificial additions to the pool over the past years. This simple math does not account for these. These additions skew the results of simple math falsely toward a more positive outcome. So, the 10-years to dead-pool may be much sooner. The only metric which will be accurate is the volume of flow in the Colorado River.

Image of signpost pointing at various places to blame.

Gloom and Doom.

There is a reason the flow of the Colorado River has diminished. The blame for the reduced flow is spread all over the place, but there is one prime cause…

Mismanagement of Water.

We as humans have grossly mismanaged water. We have drained swamps. We have straightened streams. We have removed large quantities out of its watershed. Our cities and fields have altered water cycles. Most of this can be fixed over time, but not immediately.

How to Fix it Faster.

There is one place where we can mechanically repair what we broke. Read on to learn how this happened and how we can fix it.

Root Cause.

Notice that all the water within the Colorado River is used before it reaches the ocean. None of the Colorado River water enters the Colorado River Delta because of the over extraction of freshwater from the river. At first look this seems smart. We are harvesting all the freshwater for human use before it gets to the ocean and turns salty. But there is an unwritten natural law which states that: “Removing large quantities of freshwater from its watershed will create unintended consequences; usually negative.” Draining the river dry, leaving no moisture for the delta is a problem. We have taken too much from nature and have not respected the resource. The unintended consequences are the: mega-drought; increased wildfire risk; reduced snowpack; shrinking surface levels of the Salton Sea, Great Salt Lake, Lake Mead, Lake Powell; and reduced flow of the Colorado River.

Image of dry and parched land with a little bit of green bushes.

Unintended Consequence.

As a result of the Colorado River Delta receiving no water, it is now a 3,000-sq-mi desert which adds no moisture into the air. The Colorado River Delta was a large wetland, in a hot and sunny place, which has strong northerly winds, and dry thirsty air. The delta used to provide vast amounts of moisture into the atmosphere, into a hydrologic cycle. But now it is dead and dry.

A Cycle of Despair.

This water cycle carries moisture to the headwaters of the Colorado River, which should return to the delta via the river. Today, the atmospheric water stream carries less water to the north. The lands north of the delta are starved of moisture and in a mega-drought. The mega-drought inhibits the Great Basin from sending moisture to the Colorado Mountains and the snowpack is reduced. The diminished snowpack provides less water for the Colorado River. Less freshwater in the Colorado River combined with the consistent demand for freshwater is emptying Lake Mead and Lake Powell and still sending no water into the delta. It is a cycle of despair.

Hydrologic Cycle.

Overly simplified, this water cycle is: 1. Gulf or California, MX > 2. Colorado River Delta, Baja, MX > 3. Laguna Salada, Baja, MX > 4. Salton Sea, CA, USA > 5. Great Basin, USA > 6. Great Salt Lake, UT, USA > 7. Colorado Mountains, CO, USA > 8. Colorado River, USA & MX > 9. Colorado River Delta, Baja, MX. >

Dissecting the Water Cycle.

1. Gulf of California, MX.

The warm air over the gulf collects moisture and carries it north over the Colorado River Delta. The mega drought has not caused a change to the Gulf of California.

2. Colorado River Delta, Baja, MX

In 1935 the Colorado River Delta began to experience a local-climate-change because the Colorado River ceased flowing to the sea. This occurred for multiple reasons, but two are onerous. During 1935-1941 Hoover Dam was being filled, creating Lake Mead, blocking the river’s water from the delta. Beginning in 1939 the Colorado River Aqueduct opened and began transporting massive amounts of water to Southern California. For 80+ years these diversions along with other draws have removed all freshwater from the Colorado River before it reaches its delta. This local-climate-change has reduced the moisture fed into the hydrologic cycle; thus the water cycle has less moisture to carry northeast.

3. Laguna Salada, Baja, MX.

Technically Laguna Salada is in the Colorado River Delta, but this inland sea is a significant water feature, so it deserves its own mention. In 1999, Laguna Salada was the last part of the delta to become desert. Is it a coincidence that the mega-drought began in 2000?

GIF of the Salton Sea which displays the surface area in different years beginning in 2014 and projected out to 2033.

4. Salton Sea, CA, USA.

The Salton Sea, a terminal inland sea, was formed in 1905 when water from the Colorado River broke free from an irrigation canal and flowed into the Salton Basin. In the 1950s, the Salton Sea was a thriving tourist destination, a desert oasis. The surface level of the Salton Sea began to diminish significantly in the 1970s and the inland sea began to experience significant environmental problems. The reduced surface level is contributing less moisture into the water cycle thus the water cycle has less water to carry north.

5. Great Basin, USA.

The Great Basin is an interesting feature of the SW-USA. It is large and encroaches on 8 US States, thus it is great, and it is a watershed with no outlet, thus it is a basin. It is full of salt deposits; think of the Bonneville Salt Falts and the Great Salt Lake, plus Death Valley is heavily salted. All this salt points to vast quantities of water, but the Great Basin has a moisture deficit. So, where did the water come from? Moisture from the west is blocked by the Rain-Shadow effect. Moisture from the north seems to end up in the Colorado Mountains instead of the Great Basin. The Great Basin receives most of its moisture from the south, but with the dry Colorado River Delta, dry Laguna Salada and shrinking Salton Sea, not much moisture is progressing north. The great Basin has become dryer over the past 40 years.

Great Salt Lake as seen from space in 1985 and 2022. — Great Salt Lake as seem from space in 1985 and 2022.

6. Great Salt Lake, UT, USA

The Great Salt Lake, a terminal inland sea, is officially part of the Great Basin. There are twenty saline lakes within the Great Basin, but the Great Salt Lake gets most of the headlines. It lies in the northeast corner of the Great Basin and its evaporated moisture travels into the Colorado Mountains. In the last decade there have been fears that the Great Salt Lake would turn to dust. The surface level of the Great Salt Lake has been generally diminishing since 1986. As the lake surface diminishes, the amount of moisture sent northeast also diminishes, which means less snowpack for the Colorado Mountains.

7. Colorado Mountains, CO, USA.

The Colorado Mountains supply the moisture which feeds 158 named rivers. It is apparent that the flow of all these rivers has been diminishing since at least 1986. The Colorado mountains collect snow each winter, which is the time-release water for the rivers. The decline in snowpack, the reduction of source for the river water accounts for the reduced water inflows for the Colorado River.

8. Colorado River, USA & Baja, MX.

Historically the Colorado River is accredited with 16-million-acrefeet of flow. In recent years the river is providing more like 14 or 15-million-acrefeet of freshwater, and some of the projections show it could go down to 9-million-acrefeet. Approximately, 1/3 of the river flow goes to California, 1/3 of the flow goes to Mexico, and the last 1/3 goes to other cities and farming, leaving the river dry 60 miles north of its historic outlet.

9. Back to the delta.

Draining the river dry, leaving no moisture for the delta is a problem. We have taken too much from nature and have not respected the resource. The unintended consequences are the: mega-drought; increased wildfire risk; reduced snowpack; shrinking surface levels of the Salton Sea, Great Salt Lake, Lake Mead, Lake Powell; reduced flow of the Colorado River.

Let’s fix the problem.

There are two ways to fix the problem.

1. Stop taking freshwater out of the watershed.

Since approximately 40-million people rely on that freshwater for life and livelihood. They would protest this solution. Alternative sources of freshwater are massively expensive and bring their own ecological problems.

2. Repair the water cycle.

Without releasing the Colorado River water into the delta, the Colorado River Delta and the water cycle cannot be repaired. An alternative plan is to replace the diminished moisture input by replicating the lost water cycle. This sounds like a big task; nigh on to impossible, but since humans can break it, humans should be able to fix it. The cost of constructing, operating, and maintaining this project is considerable, but not massive. The funds can be collected from a water-use-fee imposed on those who broke the water cycle, the users of Colorado River water as they continue to consume the Colorado River water.

Image of the seal of the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation.

Because this operation spans multiple US States, it must be coordinated by the US Government. Fortunately, the government already has an agency in place for this: The US Bureau of Reclamation. This type of project is fully within their mission: “The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.” (https://www.usbr.gov/main/about/mission.html)

How to replicate the hydrologic cycle.

1. Colorado River Delta > Laguna Salada.

The plan begins with an agreement with Mexico to dredge the Coyote Canal and connect it to the Gulf or California, allowing ocean water to gravity flow into Laguna Salada. The Coyote Canal was installed as a connector between the Colorado River and Laguna Salada. Selecting a new serpentine track for the Coyote Canal, moisture can reach more parts of the desert delta on its way to Laguna Salada, thus providing hydration to more land, and more opportunity to infuse the atmosphere with moisture. Refilling Laguna Salada will provide an atmosphere moisture generator for the water cycle. Laguna Salada is a shallow, warm body of saltwater, with a large surface area, situated in a dry air environment, in virtual wind tunnel of air blowing atmosphere moisture northward.

2. Laguna Salada > Salton Sea.

The Coyote Canal can be extended to the Salton Sea. This will be a new 60-mile-long metered-flow canal which must pass through a 150-foot hill. By extending the Coyote Canal past Laguna Salada and into the Salton Sea, it can be refilled to its 1950s surface level. This inflow of ocean water will immediately lower the salinity of the Salton Sea. Increasing the surface level of the Salton Sea will improve its donation to the water cycle. The Salton Sea is a shallow, warm body of saltwater, situated in a dry air environment, with a large surface area making moisture available to the hydrologic cycle flowing northward.

3. Salton Sea > Great Basin.

The surface level of the Salton Sea can be increased and maintained at its 1950s level by the metered flow of the Coyote Canal and the pumped outflow into the great Basin. Over time, the salinity and agricultural pollution of the Salton Sea will be reduced by the flowthrough of water into the Great Basin. This will return the Salton Sea into a habitable place for fish, birds, and people.

4. Great Basin > Great Salt Lake.

The Salton Sea water pumped into the Great Basin will reside in a currently dry depression, where natural processes take over. Once the water is placed within the Great Basin, evaporation will infuse freshwater into the atmosphere and leave behind the salt and pollutants. The natural processes of the water cycle within the Great Basin will move freshwater around and deposit it into the Great Salt Lake. The surface level of the Great Salt Lake is the gauge which will determine the amount of water imported into the Great Basin.

5. Great Salt Lake > Colorado Mountains.

Conclusion.

We cannot rob Mother Nature without receiving a punishment. This broken water cycle is our penalty for years of robbing Mother Nature. Let’s not accept the new normal of permanent aridification. Let’s resist the aridification of the SW-USA and the Colorado River Watershed. Let’s put the US Bureau of Reclamation to work within their assigned mission. Replacing the hydrologic cycle will return a full snowpack to the Colorado Mountains. One last thing, once the river is returned to full flow, let’s give Mother Nature her share by allowing a constant flow into the Colorado River Delta.

Proponent.

Help Reverse Climate Change.

Utah’s Snow Depends on Great Salt Lake

The Grow The Flow blogger Morgan Cardon reports that “Utah’s legendary ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’ wouldn’t exist without Great Salt Lake.” She is correct and is calling for an action which is insufficient. Action is a must, but she is missing something. Find the missing link here.

Morgan says…

“Utah’s legendary ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’ wouldn’t exist without Great Salt Lake. The lake is crucial in fueling the state’s snowpack, creating the deep, fluffy powder that defines its world-class ski industry. But as Great Salt Lake shrinks, this delicate cycle is unraveling–impacting everything from snowfall levels to the broader ecosystem. The consequences of a diminished lake stretch far beyond its shoreline, reaching all the way to the mountain peaks. ** (** The Future of Utah’s Snow Depends on Great Salt Lake by Morgan Cardon | Feb 26, 2025. https://growtheflowutah.org/2025/02/26/the-future-of-utahs-snow-depends-on-great-salt-lake/)

Morgan is correct, but…. The consequences of a diminished lake reach to all the 158 named rivers originating in the Colorado mountains. They all have a diminished flow.

“Great Salt Lake’s cycle begins kilometers away over the Pacific, where storm clouds form and move east. As they pass over the Sierra Nevadas, the warm and humid air butts up against the mountain range and an upward ascension causes the air to rapidly cool—water then condensing and falling from the sky as rain. Not all of it falls, however, and the nearly depleted clouds continue on towards Utah’s Wasatch range.**

Rain Shadow Effect

There is some truth in this paragraph. The weather phenomenon described is named the ‘Rain Shadow Effect’. The warm moist and humid air butts against the mountain range and the upward ascension causes the air to cool rapidly. Cold air holds less water than warm air, so the air releases the moisture as rain on the Pacific side of the mountain, leaving the Great Basin without its share of the moisture.

The Great Basin does gain some moisture from the Pacific, but historically the Great Basin has received more moisture from the south, blowing in from the south near Death Valley and circulating within the Great Basin; moving around and toward Utah’s Wasatch range.

Image of a snowpack with a stream flowing from it.

Great Salt Lake is a Snow Generator.

“Great Salt Lake, a 1,600 square mile body of water that’s too salty to freeze, recharges the storms with moisture—and these refreshed storms head right towards Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Deer Valley, and Park City: Utah’s premier ski resorts and home to the “Greatest Snow on Earth.” The reason our snow is oh-so-good is because Great Salt Lake has just the perfect touch of water to add to those storms that come rolling by. The quality of our snow is directly affected by the lake: not too heavy, not too wet, but a perfect balance.

Snow Completes the Cycle.

“In spring, the snow will melt and make its way into aquifers. These groundwater stores hold the once lake-water for a time before it runs down in mountain streams and joins rivers heading back to Great Salt Lake, where it will wait to evaporate and come down as snow once more.**

We can all agree that conservation of this resource is valuable, but today’s woes are more the result of a broken water cycle, one bigger than that described by the author.

Pacific Ocean > Wasatch Range Watercycle.

The hydrologic cycle described by the author is: 1. Pacific moisture blown into the Serria Nevada mountains. 2. What little moisture which evades the Rain Shadow Effect is blown into the Wasatch range. 3. Snow melt returns water into the Great Salt Lake. 4. Evaporation from the Great Salt Lake blows into the Wasatch range.

Image of a map showing a simiplified representation of the Southern watercycle.

Bay of California > Colorado Mountains Watercycle.

The hydrologic cycle which is not acknowledged is: 1. Evaporation from Gulf of California. 2. Evaporation from Colorado River Delta. 3. Evaporation from Laguna Salada, Baja, MX. 4. Evaporation from the Salton Sea. 5. Evaporation blows north into the Great Basin. 6. Moisture circulates within the Great Basin. 7. Moisture lands in the Gret Salt Lake. 8. Evaporation from the Great Salt Lame deposits snow in the Wasatch and Colorado mountains. 9. Snow melt feeds 158 named rivers originating in the Colorado mountains. 10. The flow of the Colorado River feeds the Colorado River Delta.

Image of chart displaying the GSL surface level from 1980 to 2024.

Diminishing Results.

This hydrologic cycle has been diminishing since 1936. Beginning in 1936 the Colorado River Delta has been starved of water. All the Colorado River freshwater is being drained out of the river before it can enter the delta. On its face this sounds like a good thing. We have saved the freshwater for human use. Once the freshwater reaches the ocean it is useless for most human use without desalination. But there is an unintended consequence.

Before 1936 the Colorado River Delta was a 3,000 square mile verdant moist wetland pumping huge amounts of moisture into the air. Being starved of river water since 1940, the unintended consequence is local-climate-change. The delta is now a 3,000 square mile brown dry desert. It no longer adds moisture into the air. Worse yet it has erected a hot air barrier preventing moisture from blowing north. This temperature inversion inhibits both the moisture which used to feed the hydrologic cycle and reduces the moisture pumped north during the North American Monsoon. The result of this local-climate-change is the mega-drought. Left unchecked will lead to the aridification of the SW-USA.

Local-Climate-Change.

Yes, the Colorado River Delta has changed from a living wetland to a dead desert. This brings changes which wreak havoc on the local climate, which then spread to adjacent local climates. In July-2021, the United Nations Environment Programme published the Foresight Brief #FB025: Working with plants, soils and water to cool the climate and rehydrate Earth’s landscapes.* In FB025 it explains how these changes affect any local climate. According to the data within the report, the local ambient temperature today is 36°F (20°C) hotter than it was in 1936.^† This temperature has a devastating effect on the Bay of California > Colorado mountains water cycle, and on the North American Monsoon; both deliver less water north into the SW-USA..
(*https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359452372_Working_with_plants_soils_and_water_to_cool_the_climate_and_rehydrate_Earth’s_landscapes)
(^† https://climate-rescue.org/2025/01/24/plants-soils-and-water-cool-the-climate/)

Let’s fix the problem.

There are two ways to fix the problem.

1. Stop taking freshwater out of the watershed.

I do not think humans will stop taking water out of the Colorado River watershed because approximately 40-million people rely on that freshwater for life and livelihood. I think they would complain. To replace this freshwater from alternative sources is massively expensive. Still, let us come to a compromise. We can conserve and conscientiously reduce what is taken. We must not drain the river completely dry. We must not extract more from aquifers than they can naturally replenish in a year. We must allow some Colorado River water to flow into its delta.