Dams, irrigation and now climate change have drastically reduced the once-mighty river. Is it a sign of things to come?

Reservoirs along the river may never rise to previous levels. Utah’s Lake Powell has a “bathtub ring” that rises at least 70 feet above the water.

From its source high in the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River channels water south nearly 1,500 miles, over falls, through deserts and canyons, to the lush wetlands of a vast delta in Mexico and into the Gulf of California.

Then, beginning in the 1920s, Western states began divvying up the Colorado’s water, building dams and diverting the flow hundreds of miles, to Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and other fast-growing cities. The river now serves 30 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico, with 70 percent or more of its water siphoned off to irrigate 3.5 million acres of cropland. Read more

Can one person change the world?  While this is a complicated question, the short answer is yes. There are many small contributions a single person can make in the course of a day that will better the global community. Here are just a few ideas! Read more

You can drink out of some, you can’t even touch others.

There are hundreds of rivers in the world, coursing through every possible ecosystem. Some rivers cross continents and branch tree-like into dozens of tributaries and lakes, determining the environments of whole countries. Others are as large as football fields and move water and organisms from one place to another.

Despite their varying sizes and paths, all rivers are indispensable to life on earth. Rivers are fundamental to the water cycle, provide food and water, enable ecosystems and agriculture, allow for transportation, and create the conditions for so many other benefits. Read more

Water.org is unlocking the potential of women around the world through safe water and sanitation.

Each day women who lack access to these resources spend 125 million hours collecting water for their families, and 266 million hours finding a place to relieve themselves.

Mysore, India  – Through Water.org women in Mahahalli Village all have access to toilets and safe water at home. Now, these women spend their days farming the fields along the main road of their village. They grow marigolds, lavender, wheat and other crops to sell at market.  Read more

It seems incredible that it’s 2017 and there’s still 663 million people around the world who don’t have access to clean water — a basic human right that no one can live without.

In the lead up to World Water Day, March 22, 2017, our partners at WaterAid released a report ‘Wild Water,’ outlining why so many people struggle to have safe drinking water. It examines how climate change and extreme weather such as flooding, drought, and cyclones will make reaching a reliable source of clean water an increasing challenge for remote and rural communities in particular. Read more