The Colorado River's Tough Choices

The Colorado River is in serious trouble. The states that rely on it missed a big deadline to agree on how to share its water. Lakes Mead and Powell are almost empty, and nature doesn't care about human arguments. The problem is that the rules made in 1922 don't work anymore. Back then, people thought the river had more water than it actually does. Now, with climate change and more people needing water, the math just doesn't add up. Both the Upper and Lower Basins think they should get 7. 5 million acre-feet of water each. But the river only gives about 11 million acre-feet per year, and sometimes even less. It's clear that both sides can't have what they want. People hoped that the states could work together to fix this. They also hoped that the government could help. But those hopes aren't realistic anymore. The states are stuck on their old rights, and the river is running out of time. This is a big problem that needs brave leaders to fix. The governors of the seven states need to come together and make a new plan. They should forget about old promises and think about the future. They should also include Native American tribes in this plan. If they don't act now, the Supreme Court might have to step in. That would be slow, expensive, and painful. The river can't wait that long. In the meantime, the government might have to make tough choices about how to manage the water. The longer we wait, the harder this problem will be for future generations. It will be harder to farm, enjoy nature, or even have clean water to drink. As Harry Truman once said, progress happens when brave leaders step up. The Colorado River needs that kind of leadership now.