Water is scarce in the Colorado River Basin, and the effects of climate change are straining the overspent water supply. Demands on the river already exceed the river’s average supply. This is the first report to describe the extent of irrigation in the basin, which consumes roughly 70% of the basin’s water supply. The report compares several agricultural management scenarios and the potential water savings and costs associated with each, without removing agricultural land from production.

Tool: The Colorado Basin map