Killing the Colorado

[Honey Badger282.8]

Did anybody else watch this on Discovery? I thought it was a pretty good piece that laid out all the factors contributing to the water issues facing the western states and how they are combating them.

[hurley842002]

I saw it on the TV Guide, but the boys were still up so we watched a movie with them. Looked interesting.

[GilpinGuy]

From the title of the post, I thought would be about the immigration of douche-bags from slave states.

[Honey Badger282.8]

I saw it on the TV Guide, but the boys were still up so we watched a movie with them. Looked interesting.

You should watch it. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't take the easy route and play the blame game that is so often associated with it: blame the farmers, ban alfalfa, blame climate change, blame cities, etc. Hell, even Hickenlooper sounded alright.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I watched it. My impression was it was written/produced by a dedicated liberal TRYING to keep an open mind (or at least project that he had). The segment showing how permanent sale of water rights essentially doomed a small town was illuminating and impressive with how balanced it was. I was also impressed by the balanced presentation given the water rights management corporation.

I was NOT so impressed by how they kept hammering on "over 70% of water is used by agriculture". They DID try to compensate by mentioning that people have to eat and anyone who consumes milk or steak or burgers is also an alfalfa consumer but I felt they still left the big cities off the hook a bit.

Absolutely no mention of how California could and should handle the Salton Sea and Imperial Valley dust by having the state (or municipalities trying to steal the water) pay for soil decontamination and mitigation. It's expensive but technically feasible. They mentioned how California had been taking more than its share of Colorado River water but glossed over how California and the Clinton Administration tried to get the feds to adjust the Colorado River Compact to seal its water theft into future rights. They also completely failed to mention self-described environmentalists trying to lock in tons of water for species protection.

It left the New Mexico project somewhat unresolved: showed resident concerns with trying to lock in their current water rights instead of having it all go to Arizona golf courses but gave the arguments from the opposition. This is reality -- there just isn't a good solution to that dilemma.

[Ah Pook]

Missed it.

From what I have heard, CO water is open to the highest bidder. Water rights, west of Boulder, are being snatched up by unnamed corps.

[CS1983]

Missed it.

From what I have heard, CO water is open to the highest bidder. Water rights, west of Boulder, are being snatched up by unnamed corps.

Chinese? Saudi?

[Great-Kazoo]

Chinese? Saudi?

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ that's who.

[Great-Kazoo]

I watched it. My impression was it was written/produced by a dedicated liberal TRYING to keep an open mind (or at least project that he had). The segment showing how permanent sale of water rights essentially doomed a small town was illuminating and impressive with how balanced it was. I was also impressed by the balanced presentation given the water rights management corporation.

I was NOT so impressed by how they kept hammering on "over 70% of water is used by agriculture". They DID try to compensate by mentioning that people have to eat and anyone who consumes milk or steak or burgers is also an alfalfa consumer but I felt they still left the big cities off the hook a bit.

Absolutely no mention of how California could and should handle the Salton Sea and Imperial Valley dust by having the state (or municipalities trying to steal the water) pay for soil decontamination and mitigation. It's expensive but technically feasible. They mentioned how California had been taking more than its share of Colorado River water but glossed over how California and the Clinton Administration tried to get the feds to adjust the Colorado River Compact to seal its water theft into future rights. They also completely failed to mention self-described environmentalists trying to lock in tons of water for species protection.

It left the New Mexico project somewhat unresolved: showed resident concerns with trying to lock in their current water rights instead of having it all go to Arizona golf courses but gave the arguments from the opposition. This is reality -- there just isn't a good solution to that dilemma.

Clearly the producers & people who supposedly did their homework FAILED.

DISCLAIMER: I have not watched this "documentary" with that said.

based on what's been posted they left out one item.

X years ago the state shut down access as well as limited weld cty & eastern farmers use of water for crops. Seems (according to state water folk) there was not enough to use for both farms & human consumption. They said there ( at the time) water needed to be limited. HOWEVER they for some reason, at the same time, had no issue allowing housing growth / water taps.

[roberth]

Aren't farms for human consumption?

Government logic isn't.