WEBVTT 00:01.366 --> 00:03.866 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:55% - [David] The Colorado River provides the lifeblood 00:03.866 --> 00:06.600 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% of the Southwestern United States. 00:06.600 --> 00:09.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% It's a small river but so vital to the region 00:09.400 --> 00:12.700 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% that without it, most of the 40 million residents 00:12.700 --> 00:15.466 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:77.5% would not or could not be here. 00:16.466 --> 00:19.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% The most contested part is between Hoover Dam, 00:19.166 --> 00:23.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% which has created the Lake Mead, and the Mexican border. 00:23.100 --> 00:26.566 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% Along that stretch, the river has become quite simply 00:26.566 --> 00:27.700 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% a plumbing system. 00:32.633 --> 00:35.633 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:70% - [Announcer] Funding for In the Americas with David Yetman 00:35.633 --> 00:37.933 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% was provided by Agnese Haury. 00:37.933 --> 00:40.900 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% (soft dramatic music) 00:46.966 --> 00:50.033 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:45% Funding for In the Americas with David Yetman, 00:50.033 --> 00:51.900 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% was also provided by the Guilford Fund. 00:53.266 --> 00:56.366 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% (soft dramatic music) 01:00.633 --> 01:03.200 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:32.5% (samba music) 01:04.433 --> 01:07.400 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% (people chattering) 01:15.033 --> 01:17.733 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:40% (birds chirping) 01:28.666 --> 01:31.833 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% - Hoover Dam for more than 80 years, 01:31.833 --> 01:36.566 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:65% has been a symbol of human attempts to control a river. 01:36.566 --> 01:39.366 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% It was completed in 1936 01:39.366 --> 01:43.266 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% and at the time was one of the world's great structures. 01:43.266 --> 01:46.900 align:start position:15% line:10% size:55% The intent for the dam was to control floods, 01:46.900 --> 01:49.666 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:57.5% provide for irrigation, 01:49.666 --> 01:52.066 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% division of water among users, 01:52.066 --> 01:53.700 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% and generate electricity. 01:55.900 --> 01:58.233 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% The bathtub ring that we see here, 01:58.233 --> 02:01.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% is also a symbol of the overuse of the water 02:01.066 --> 02:02.300 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:55% of the Colorado River. 02:02.300 --> 02:05.100 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% If the bathtub ring goes much lower, 02:05.100 --> 02:07.800 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% it will automatically generate 02:07.800 --> 02:10.733 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:37.5% a new series of emergency measures 02:10.733 --> 02:13.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% in both the lower basin and the upper basin. 02:16.200 --> 02:19.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% The two parts of the river are divided at Lees Ferry 02:19.466 --> 02:22.200 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% near the entrance to the Grand Canyon. 02:22.200 --> 02:25.600 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:75% Joining me in Las Vegas, about 20 miles from Hoover Dam, 02:25.600 --> 02:27.300 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% for a trip through the lower basin 02:27.300 --> 02:30.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% is my friend and river defender, Tillie Walton. 02:30.400 --> 02:32.300 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% - And anywhere in the world. 02:34.433 --> 02:37.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% They recycle more water per person here 02:37.000 --> 02:39.566 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% than anywhere else in the United States. 02:39.566 --> 02:43.600 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% - [David] But in terms of the overall river water, 02:43.600 --> 02:46.900 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% it's an insignificant amount, but they can't get any more. 02:46.900 --> 02:48.566 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% There is no agriculture, 02:48.566 --> 02:52.333 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:65% and they have to use every ounce of that water efficiently. 02:52.333 --> 02:54.833 align:start position:15% line:10% size:55% - If we weren't in the middle of the strip, 02:54.833 --> 02:58.066 align:start position:15% line:10% size:62.5% we would be in the middle of a dry barren desert. 02:58.066 --> 02:59.800 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:47.5% - Yeah, four inches of rain a year. 03:01.433 --> 03:03.800 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% - I actually think that Las Vegas is, 03:03.800 --> 03:05.466 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% in some senses of the word, 03:05.466 --> 03:08.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% the most environmentally sound place 03:08.533 --> 03:11.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% in terms of their water efficiency and reuse. 03:14.500 --> 03:17.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% - Southern Nevadans have significantly reduced 03:17.133 --> 03:20.733 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% their water use throughout the past decade in a half, 03:20.733 --> 03:23.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% which has really resulted in our community 03:23.400 --> 03:27.200 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:35% using 25% less Colorado River water 03:27.200 --> 03:30.800 align:start position:10% line:10% size:80% while our community grew by 46%. 03:30.800 --> 03:33.833 align:start position:15% line:10% size:60% So we are supplying more people in Southern Nevada 03:33.833 --> 03:35.933 align:start position:15% line:10% size:55% with less water today. 03:35.933 --> 03:40.000 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% Southern Nevada maintains a 50-year water resource plan. 03:40.000 --> 03:43.300 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% So for the next half century, we've got a very good idea 03:43.300 --> 03:46.600 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% of what our water demands are gonna be for this community 03:46.600 --> 03:49.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and where those water resources are gonna come from 03:49.033 --> 03:51.000 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:77.5% in order to meet those demands. 03:52.566 --> 03:55.366 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% We've all experienced the levels in Lake Mead 03:55.366 --> 03:58.066 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% declining over the past 10, 20 years. 03:58.066 --> 03:59.400 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:50% That water is shared 03:59.400 --> 04:01.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% amongst the states of Arizona and California, 04:01.100 --> 04:03.000 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:35% as well as the country of Mexico. 04:03.000 --> 04:04.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% Now when you look at Las Vegas 04:04.600 --> 04:07.800 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% and you look at the fountain of the Bellagio Hotel 04:07.800 --> 04:11.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% or the Mirage Hotel, there is this sort of perception 04:11.966 --> 04:14.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% that our community is glutinous or wasteful 04:14.933 --> 04:16.233 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:50% within its water use 04:16.233 --> 04:18.300 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% but nothing could be further from the truth. 04:18.300 --> 04:20.900 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% Our community has a strong conservation ethic. 04:20.900 --> 04:24.266 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% And with 2.2 million people, we have collectively worked 04:24.266 --> 04:26.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% to significantly reduce our consumption 04:26.466 --> 04:27.900 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% of Colorado River water, 04:27.900 --> 04:30.433 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% and we've done that through myriad programs. 04:30.433 --> 04:33.033 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% We pay $3 a square foot to remove grass 04:33.033 --> 04:35.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and replace that with water-smart landscaping. 04:35.466 --> 04:37.066 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:32.5% We have water waste investigators 04:37.066 --> 04:38.633 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% patrolling our neighborhoods 04:38.633 --> 04:40.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% ensuring people are complying with the watering schedule. 04:40.766 --> 04:43.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:75% And yes, we do have a watering schedule that does limit 04:43.533 --> 04:46.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% when and how people can irrigate their landscapes. 04:46.533 --> 04:48.500 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% Those key projects, 04:48.500 --> 04:51.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% along with lots of other conservation aspects, 04:51.100 --> 04:54.333 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% have really helped to reduce our community's water use. 04:55.566 --> 04:58.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% Anybody who drinks a glass of water in Las Vegas, 04:58.100 --> 05:00.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% you're going to really be drinking water 05:00.533 --> 05:04.300 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% that has started in the Colorado Rockies as snowfall, 05:04.300 --> 05:06.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% that has run off, melted, and made its way 05:06.933 --> 05:10.333 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:77.5% into the river system, traveled down the Colorado River 05:10.333 --> 05:13.133 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:65% into Lake Powell, where it probably sat for a little while 05:13.133 --> 05:16.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% before it was released through Glen Canyon Dam 05:16.033 --> 05:18.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% after producing a little bit of electricity, 05:18.166 --> 05:22.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% and continued on down through the historic Grand Canyon 05:22.000 --> 05:24.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% before arriving in Lake Mead. 05:24.600 --> 05:27.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:75% And that water that is in Lake Mead that continues on down 05:27.466 --> 05:31.366 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% to Arizona and California, also is generating electricity 05:31.366 --> 05:33.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% and is providing a beneficial use 05:33.000 --> 05:34.533 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% to those downstream water users, 05:34.533 --> 05:36.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% whether they're urban or agricultural. 05:36.766 --> 05:39.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% And so it is very important that we all look 05:39.200 --> 05:42.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% within our own economies and our own communities 05:42.033 --> 05:46.133 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:80% and utilize water to its highest and best value that we can 05:46.133 --> 05:47.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% for those specific things. 05:48.966 --> 05:52.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:75% - [David] Hard to believe this is one of 50 pumping stations 05:52.166 --> 05:54.133 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% in the metropolitan area. 05:54.133 --> 05:56.300 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% - This is the lake level 05:56.300 --> 05:58.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% and how they're actually, having to account 05:58.966 --> 06:00.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% for the lake dropping so much 06:00.600 --> 06:03.566 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% to account for all this incredible infrastructure. 06:03.566 --> 06:05.133 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% - [David] Oh here, you can see also 06:05.133 --> 06:06.666 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% where they're tunneled in 06:06.666 --> 06:09.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% and how it's delivered to the metropolitan area. 06:09.133 --> 06:12.400 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% - So this is the new intake down as low as possible. 06:12.400 --> 06:13.633 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:50% - And that tunnel, a three-mile long tunnel in here. 06:13.633 --> 06:16.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% - Yeah and that's why they have to have 06:16.066 --> 06:17.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% all this infrastructure and power 06:17.400 --> 06:20.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% because they have to take it from the bottom 06:20.000 --> 06:22.433 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% and pump it all the way up and over, 06:22.433 --> 06:24.700 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% and then to all of these places. 06:24.700 --> 06:27.366 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:35% (guitar music) 06:27.366 --> 06:29.700 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% - This is an actual piece 06:29.700 --> 06:34.100 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% of the strengthened concrete tunnel, 06:34.100 --> 06:36.166 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% that they put on the bottom of Lake Mead 06:36.166 --> 06:37.533 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% to bring the water here. 06:37.533 --> 06:40.266 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% - This goes to show you the lengths 06:40.266 --> 06:41.900 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% that are behind the scenes 06:41.900 --> 06:44.533 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% for bringing water to people. 06:44.533 --> 06:46.833 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% It's ironic that for so long 06:46.833 --> 06:49.300 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% it's almost like the dam building era is over 06:49.300 --> 06:52.600 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:77.5% and now we have a pipe building era in order to bring water 06:52.600 --> 06:56.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% to all of these cities in the middle of the desert. 06:57.700 --> 07:00.466 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% - [David] The first of three major dams on the river 07:00.466 --> 07:03.066 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% on the way to Yuma is Davis Dam, 07:03.066 --> 07:06.800 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:35% about 80 miles South of Hoover Dam. 07:06.800 --> 07:11.733 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% - This river serves seven states and two countries. 07:11.733 --> 07:14.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% Davis Dam helps regulate the flow to Mexico 07:14.766 --> 07:18.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% because Mexico depends on this water as well. 07:18.466 --> 07:20.633 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% We're sharing this river here, 07:20.633 --> 07:22.833 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% which has become somewhat of a plumbing system 07:22.833 --> 07:26.333 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% with just a series of 15 dams 07:26.333 --> 07:29.266 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:50% built to control and regulate the water and power 07:29.266 --> 07:30.333 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% moving on down the river. 07:34.533 --> 07:37.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% I was introduced to rivers when I was 19, 07:37.233 --> 07:39.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and fell in love with them and started guiding. 07:39.933 --> 07:42.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:35% Rivers are the lifeblood of our planet 07:42.400 --> 07:45.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% and they're basically like the veins and arteries 07:45.133 --> 07:46.766 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:32.5% of the earth. 07:46.766 --> 07:50.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% And so it's providing life for all of us. 07:50.066 --> 07:52.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% I put a tourniquet on my arm, 07:52.600 --> 07:56.366 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:65% it's gonna block the flow, just like we've done for rivers 07:56.366 --> 07:58.466 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% with dams here, it's blocking the flow 07:58.466 --> 08:01.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% and there is so many more solutions these days. 08:01.133 --> 08:03.033 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% There is solar electricity, 08:03.033 --> 08:05.300 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% there is hydro electric turbines 08:05.300 --> 08:07.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% that we can put that work with the flow of the river 08:07.766 --> 08:09.666 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% instead of requiring a dam. 08:09.666 --> 08:12.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% Creating wetlands so to help control floods, 08:12.400 --> 08:15.933 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:62.5% it's green infrastructure instead of steel infrastructure. 08:15.933 --> 08:18.533 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:35% (guitar music) 08:18.533 --> 08:22.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% - As we follow the river southward from Parker, Arizona 08:22.066 --> 08:25.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:75% we can't help but know that on the Arizona side of the river 08:25.233 --> 08:29.633 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:70% is a seemingly endless strip of helter-skelter development. 08:29.633 --> 08:33.566 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% On the West side, nearly virgin desert. 08:33.566 --> 08:36.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% The reason, Colorado River Indian Reservation 08:36.933 --> 08:39.233 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:55% lies on the West bank. 08:41.266 --> 08:45.000 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% Right next to the highway on the shores of Lake Havasu, 08:45.000 --> 08:47.000 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% is the Mark Wilmer Pumping Station 08:47.000 --> 08:50.433 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% where the Central Arizona project pumps water, 08:50.433 --> 08:55.400 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:67.5% from the Colorado river and delivers it to Southern Arizona. 08:56.366 --> 08:59.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% It must raise that water over 2,500 feet. 08:59.966 --> 09:03.733 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% It has become the lifeblood of Phoenix in Tucson. 09:05.433 --> 09:08.200 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:35% (guitar music) 09:10.033 --> 09:15.133 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% Parker Dam is about 70 miles downstream from Davis Dam. 09:15.766 --> 09:17.466 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% It was built in the 30s, 09:17.466 --> 09:21.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% so that Los Angeles could grow very, very quickly. 09:21.000 --> 09:24.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% The dam itself is backed up into the Lake Havasu 09:24.533 --> 09:27.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% which has one of the most important wildlife refuges 09:27.200 --> 09:30.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:32.5% in all of the Colorado River basin. 09:30.000 --> 09:33.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% It's one of the last remaining native habitats 09:33.000 --> 09:34.766 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% of cottonwoods and willow, 09:34.766 --> 09:37.266 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% which are prime habitat for many many birds 09:37.266 --> 09:39.733 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% and ultimately for mammals as well. 09:39.733 --> 09:42.366 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:35% (guitar music) 09:43.766 --> 09:46.466 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% The real action in the Colorado River, 09:46.466 --> 09:51.366 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% now lies near its Southern end around Yuma Arizona. 09:52.000 --> 09:53.400 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% It's a long drive. 09:53.400 --> 09:55.933 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:35% (guitar music) 09:57.500 --> 09:59.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:55% The All-American Canal 09:59.600 --> 10:02.000 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:35% is the largest extractor of water 10:02.000 --> 10:04.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:32.5% in the entire Colorado River system. 10:04.766 --> 10:08.933 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% It is the largest irrigation canal in the world. 10:08.933 --> 10:12.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% It is 80 miles long taking water from the Colorado River 10:12.933 --> 10:17.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% West into the Imperial Valley which is below sea level. 10:17.533 --> 10:19.666 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% It carries enough water to irrigate 10:19.666 --> 10:23.066 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% up to 650,000 acres of land. 10:25.800 --> 10:28.400 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% - [Steve] This is a field of romaine. 10:28.400 --> 10:29.866 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% What we're looking for is the finished spacing 10:29.866 --> 10:31.200 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% at 12 inches here. 10:31.200 --> 10:32.666 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% If this thing does it through optics, 10:32.666 --> 10:35.433 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% and computing and spraying a fertilizer on there 10:35.433 --> 10:37.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% a cut of a caustic fertilizer on that kills the plants 10:37.800 --> 10:39.333 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:35% we don't want. 10:39.333 --> 10:40.700 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:55% When we're through, we turn the sprinkler pipes on 10:40.700 --> 10:42.000 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% and wash the fertilizer in 10:42.000 --> 10:43.700 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% to feed the ones that are remaining. 10:43.700 --> 10:45.366 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% - [David] So it kills one and nurtures the other? 10:45.366 --> 10:46.200 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:42.5% - That's correct. 10:46.200 --> 10:47.866 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:42.5% In few years ago, 10:47.866 --> 10:50.333 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:60% there would be 40 people out here working right now. 10:50.333 --> 10:52.666 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% There is one man running a piece of equipment here 10:52.666 --> 10:54.333 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% that's taking their place. 10:54.333 --> 10:56.300 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% With today's political climate 10:56.300 --> 10:57.833 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:45% and all the things that are going on 10:57.833 --> 11:01.466 align:start position:12.5% line:10% size:67.5% in terms of immigration and documentation of workers 11:01.466 --> 11:04.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and politics, we have to keep our costs down 11:04.066 --> 11:06.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% so that we can be competitive with the rest of the world. 11:06.400 --> 11:08.666 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% Between the water that comes here, 11:08.666 --> 11:11.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% the soil that was deposited by that water 11:11.400 --> 11:14.400 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% over millions of years, the weather that we have here 11:14.400 --> 11:17.900 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% it's 115 to 120 degrees here in the summertime. 11:17.900 --> 11:21.300 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% But for winter production, it is absolutely perfect. 11:21.300 --> 11:24.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% We now we've got over 30 different vegetable crops 11:24.233 --> 11:26.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% that we grow and that includes parsley and cilantro, 11:26.766 --> 11:30.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% and kale and bok choy, napa, beets, fennel, 11:30.133 --> 11:33.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% all the baby lettuces, spinach, all those things. 11:33.466 --> 11:36.100 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% So we're very diversified. 11:36.100 --> 11:38.500 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% These fields are all laser leveled. 11:38.500 --> 11:40.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% There is not one inch of elevation difference 11:40.533 --> 11:43.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% when that water starts it just screams across the field. 11:43.133 --> 11:46.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% So those are the things we do to try to get the water 11:46.100 --> 11:47.833 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% across the field as quickly as possible. 11:47.833 --> 11:49.166 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:77.5% And we're paying for that water 11:49.166 --> 11:52.266 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% so we need it to go as far as we can. 11:52.266 --> 11:54.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% The water rights that we have in this area, 11:54.933 --> 11:57.366 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% are some of the oldest on the Colorado River. 11:57.366 --> 11:59.066 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% When the cutbacks do come, 11:59.066 --> 12:01.033 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% we'll be some of the last to get cut. 12:01.033 --> 12:04.633 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:80% First and last out is basically, how the process works. 12:04.633 --> 12:06.733 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% Now it could change it's all political, 12:06.733 --> 12:09.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% I can't see 8 million people in Phoenix, 12:09.066 --> 12:12.266 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% going thirsty while I've got plenty of water from mine 12:12.266 --> 12:13.433 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% I can't see that happening, 12:13.433 --> 12:15.166 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:57.5% so we do have concerns. 12:15.166 --> 12:18.100 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:77.5% But we're doing everything that we can to stretch this water 12:18.100 --> 12:19.700 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:42.5% as far as we can. 12:19.700 --> 12:22.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% And we produce over 90% of the leafy green vegetables 12:22.133 --> 12:24.233 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% that are produced in the United States, 12:24.233 --> 12:26.433 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:77.5% from mid November to mid April. 12:26.433 --> 12:27.966 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% We also have drip irrigation 12:27.966 --> 12:30.266 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% that's spreading the water out even further too. 12:30.266 --> 12:31.866 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% Terms of the big picture, 12:31.866 --> 12:33.666 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% that all starts up at Imperial Dam. 12:33.666 --> 12:37.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:70% Imperial Dam is the last dam in the Colorado River system. 12:37.100 --> 12:39.500 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:65% But water can be delivered to each one of these fields. 12:39.500 --> 12:41.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% You see that there is a gate right there, 12:41.000 --> 12:43.833 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% it comes at elevation from that dam, 12:43.833 --> 12:46.100 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% gravity flow to each one of these blocks. 12:46.100 --> 12:47.700 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:37.5% It really is an engineering marvel 12:47.700 --> 12:50.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% and that was pulled off back in the 30s and 40s. 12:50.200 --> 12:51.533 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:37.5% - [David] Yeah. 12:51.533 --> 12:53.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% - Now the Bureau of Reclamation Engineers 12:53.066 --> 12:54.333 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% I've had some of the best engineers in the country 12:54.333 --> 12:55.933 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:32.5% at that time. 12:55.933 --> 12:57.566 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:67.5% Water that goes through the soil has to have a place to go. 12:57.566 --> 13:00.366 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% And that water goes back to that drain and out, 13:00.366 --> 13:02.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and that goes back to the Colorado River. 13:02.466 --> 13:03.966 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% It takes out and return. 13:05.933 --> 13:08.133 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% (water sprinkling) 13:08.133 --> 13:10.133 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% - The folks down here in Yuma, 13:10.133 --> 13:13.500 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% are using some of the highest technology that there is, 13:13.500 --> 13:15.433 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% in order to conserve water. 13:15.433 --> 13:17.800 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% And I actually think that, 13:17.800 --> 13:19.700 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:37.5% we need to have water in the river. 13:19.700 --> 13:22.633 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% We need to have feed people and economic development. 13:22.633 --> 13:25.733 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% So in order to balance all of those uses and needs, 13:25.733 --> 13:28.866 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% you have to have the top line innovation. 13:32.833 --> 13:37.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:67.5% - Yuma was part of the wild West frontier as was Arizona. 13:38.700 --> 13:41.100 align:start position:10% line:10% size:80% We were not very well populated, 13:41.100 --> 13:44.033 align:start position:15% line:10% size:47.5% so we didn't have a very good transportation 13:44.033 --> 13:46.200 align:start position:15% line:10% size:40% system by roads. 13:46.200 --> 13:50.600 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% So the waterways became the major transportation system 13:50.600 --> 13:53.466 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% into the Arizona frontier. 13:53.466 --> 13:56.466 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% (boat engine roaring) 14:00.533 --> 14:03.333 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% So let me show you this wheel right here. 14:03.333 --> 14:05.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% This is what we call- - Oh my God. 14:05.133 --> 14:06.500 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:50% - Our Steamboat Room 14:06.500 --> 14:08.833 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:37.5% and this is the wheel from the pilot- 14:08.833 --> 14:10.766 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% - [David] Actual wheel oh my.. 14:10.766 --> 14:13.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% - Now over here we've got a few historic photos. 14:13.533 --> 14:16.333 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% In this image you can really get an idea of how wide 14:16.333 --> 14:17.933 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% the river used to be. 14:17.933 --> 14:20.433 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% It was a much speedier system, 14:20.433 --> 14:23.266 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% than attempting to go over land. 14:23.266 --> 14:26.566 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:67.5% And out here in the West of course we have the mountains, 14:26.566 --> 14:29.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% we have the sand dunes just West of us, 14:29.000 --> 14:32.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% trying to go by wagon was a really difficult 14:32.800 --> 14:36.633 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% and long arduous prospect and journey. 14:37.766 --> 14:41.100 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:55% Primarily we had large steamboats coming from the coast 14:41.100 --> 14:45.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% of California around Baja, up to the mouth of the Colorado 14:45.166 --> 14:48.200 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:55% where the supplies and people would be transferred 14:48.200 --> 14:50.400 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% onto the smaller river steamboats. 14:50.400 --> 14:51.800 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% And then they would come up the river, 14:51.800 --> 14:54.800 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% and they reportedly would go all the way 14:54.800 --> 14:56.366 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% to the head of navigation, 14:56.366 --> 14:58.800 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% which was just below the Grand Canyon. 14:59.933 --> 15:04.433 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:55% You can really see how circuitous the river used to be. 15:04.433 --> 15:06.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% - That is a definition of a meander. 15:06.800 --> 15:08.133 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:40% - Exactly right. 15:08.133 --> 15:11.300 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% Today it's much straighter. 15:11.300 --> 15:15.766 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% By 1909, the first dam had been built on the river 15:15.766 --> 15:17.066 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% that's Laguna Dam. 15:17.066 --> 15:19.433 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% It's about 10 miles up river from us. 15:19.433 --> 15:21.933 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% And the Laguna Dam closed 15:21.933 --> 15:25.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% that North South transportation highway. 15:25.933 --> 15:28.633 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% 1916 was the last major flood 15:28.633 --> 15:31.633 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% before Hoover Dam was constructed in the 1930s 15:31.633 --> 15:35.833 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% which pretty much ended the major flooding on the river. 15:35.833 --> 15:40.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% But in 1916, the volume of the river swelled 15:40.100 --> 15:42.133 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:57.5% to such a large degree, 15:42.133 --> 15:46.900 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% that it destroyed much of the small town of Yuma. 15:50.100 --> 15:52.466 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% This is the original bank line 15:52.466 --> 15:54.833 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:77.5% of the historic Colorado River. 15:54.833 --> 15:56.166 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:42.5% And by comparison 15:56.166 --> 16:00.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% look at how far back the Colorado River is today. 16:00.133 --> 16:03.100 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% (suspenseful music) 16:04.300 --> 16:08.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% - Yuma has a long history, many, many centuries 16:08.200 --> 16:11.400 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% of being an important place on the Colorado River. 16:11.400 --> 16:15.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% It's where the Gila River meets the Colorado. 16:15.466 --> 16:18.133 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% It's where the Colorado begins to enter 16:18.133 --> 16:21.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% into the delta and into the Gulf of California. 16:21.466 --> 16:24.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% And there were many, many, many native Americans 16:24.166 --> 16:26.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% living and flourishing in this area 16:26.000 --> 16:28.733 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% long before Europeans arrived. 16:28.733 --> 16:31.566 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% (suspenseful music) 16:34.833 --> 16:38.733 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% - We are on the Fort Human Indian Reservation, 16:38.733 --> 16:42.033 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:47.5% the Arizona portion of the reservation. 16:42.033 --> 16:46.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% I'm helping to create and reestablish a connection, 16:46.533 --> 16:49.466 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% physical, culturally, spiritually 16:49.466 --> 16:51.733 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% back to the Colorado River. 16:51.733 --> 16:56.700 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% Something that our ancestors I believe wanted for us, 16:57.833 --> 17:00.933 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% for recreational, spiritual, cultural purposes. 17:05.366 --> 17:07.200 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% - To simulate the flooding, 17:07.200 --> 17:09.566 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% the tribe has portable pumps 17:09.566 --> 17:12.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% that they stick into a backwater here from the river, 17:12.966 --> 17:15.300 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% pump the water out into the ditches 17:15.300 --> 17:18.266 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:62.5% that distribute the water and maintain those wetlands 17:18.266 --> 17:21.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% in the way the river would have, a hundred years ago. 17:21.800 --> 17:24.800 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:37.5% (water flowing) 17:24.800 --> 17:28.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% 20 years ago, this is a scene we would have found out here, 17:28.933 --> 17:32.233 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% trash everywhere it was a local dump. 17:32.233 --> 17:35.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% A homeless people camped here there everywhere, 17:35.966 --> 17:38.866 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% and a full of invasive species 17:38.866 --> 17:43.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% like this rag mighty, just cane, salt cedar, 17:43.166 --> 17:45.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% that was the challenge that the people 17:45.200 --> 17:48.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% who wanted to restore the habitat had to face 17:48.033 --> 17:51.433 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% plus how to to get everybody working together on it. 17:52.700 --> 17:56.933 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:65% - We did it with a will of a community, a tribe, city, 17:56.933 --> 17:59.233 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% heritage area, and a lot of people 17:59.233 --> 18:02.300 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% who wanted to get together to make something happen. 18:02.300 --> 18:05.000 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% And we took lessons learned, 18:05.000 --> 18:07.166 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% and we took what we knew would work 18:07.166 --> 18:10.100 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% and experimented the difference. 18:10.100 --> 18:12.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% - [David] This is not something you would have seen 18:12.233 --> 18:13.733 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:32.5% 20 years ago. 18:13.733 --> 18:15.433 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% - That's right, you wouldn't have even seen it. 18:15.433 --> 18:17.200 align:start position:15% line:10% size:75% And other restoration projects 18:17.200 --> 18:20.666 align:start position:10% line:10% size:65% and it's something that we really pioneered on this project 18:20.666 --> 18:23.000 align:start position:15% line:10% size:52.5% is experimenting with these native grasses 18:23.000 --> 18:24.066 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:47.5% that could come in. 18:25.066 --> 18:28.833 align:start position:15% line:10% size:52.5% 25 years ago this was nothing but trash dumps, 18:28.833 --> 18:33.400 align:start position:15% line:10% size:55% hobo camps, meth labs, and exotic species. 18:33.400 --> 18:35.166 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:47.5% And now what you're looking at today 18:35.166 --> 18:38.300 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:37.5% is a completely restored ecology, 18:38.300 --> 18:40.500 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% which the community cherishes once again 18:40.500 --> 18:42.633 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:37.5% and it's really valuable for wildlife. 18:44.266 --> 18:48.000 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:62.5% And Yuma is the only town that I know on the Colorado 18:48.000 --> 18:52.400 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:45% that has 500 acres of restored ecology, 18:52.400 --> 18:54.166 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% 10 miles of trail, 18:54.166 --> 18:56.366 align:start position:15% line:10% size:72.5% and if we started right here, 18:56.366 --> 18:59.400 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:45% we'll fly over the Creton Sunrise Park, 18:59.400 --> 19:02.333 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and we would fly over a restored marsh, 19:02.333 --> 19:04.166 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% and up through about 40 acres 19:04.166 --> 19:06.666 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% of restored cottonwood willow gallery forest. 19:06.666 --> 19:08.633 align:start position:10% line:84.67% size:80% And then we would head upstream, 19:08.633 --> 19:12.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% and take a right go across the Colorado River 19:12.100 --> 19:15.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% and then we would fly down another mile and a half 19:15.533 --> 19:18.666 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% of restored channel, which used to be the Gila River. 19:18.666 --> 19:21.533 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% And we would fly over Mesquite Bosques wetlands 19:21.533 --> 19:23.400 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:55% and other park trails. 19:23.400 --> 19:24.700 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% And we come back here 19:24.700 --> 19:26.700 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% and basically what we would be seeing, 19:26.700 --> 19:30.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% is a glimpse of what the native Colorado River 19:30.400 --> 19:32.033 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% ecosystem used to be. 19:32.033 --> 19:34.466 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:52.5% There is a really big challenge to keep water flowing 19:34.466 --> 19:37.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% past Yuma, because three miles from here 19:37.166 --> 19:38.633 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% it doesn't flow anymore. 19:38.633 --> 19:41.233 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% And then the other challenge is just controlling 19:41.233 --> 19:44.000 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% the exotic species, and then wildfire. 19:44.000 --> 19:47.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% Before this was restored to its native ecology, 19:47.033 --> 19:49.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% say we would do a bird survey 19:49.600 --> 19:52.133 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% and we would get 10 species of birds. 19:52.133 --> 19:54.333 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% And 10 species of butterflies. 19:54.333 --> 19:55.800 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% Well now that it's restored, 19:55.800 --> 19:57.700 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% with the wetland riparian aquatic, 19:57.700 --> 19:59.600 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% we get four times the density 19:59.600 --> 20:02.100 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% and diversity in that native habitat. 20:02.100 --> 20:04.266 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% So that is the reason why, 20:04.266 --> 20:07.066 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:57.5% we're trying to restore this to the native ecology. 20:07.066 --> 20:11.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% (soft instrumental music) (birds chirping) 20:11.100 --> 20:15.166 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:60% - This is Morales Dam on the other side of the river 20:15.166 --> 20:18.233 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:37.5% what is left of it here is Mexico. 20:18.233 --> 20:21.966 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% This is really the end point of the hydraulic system. 20:21.966 --> 20:24.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% This is where the Colorado meets its fate 20:24.966 --> 20:26.466 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% at the international border. 20:29.100 --> 20:30.233 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:40% - Well I got my, 20:31.933 --> 20:34.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% model level measurement device here. 20:34.166 --> 20:36.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% - Water level measure? - Yeah. 20:36.933 --> 20:40.266 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% This is electric water level measuring sampler. 20:40.266 --> 20:42.866 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% Well this is the major diversion point, 20:42.866 --> 20:47.166 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% for our required allocation of water to Mexico. 20:47.166 --> 20:50.500 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% This is Morales Dam, was built in the early 1950s. 20:50.500 --> 20:52.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% So the majority of the water that Mexico 20:52.933 --> 20:55.433 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% is legally receiving from the United States 20:55.433 --> 20:57.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% through the Colorado River System, diverts here. 20:57.800 --> 21:00.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% It's about 1.35 million acre feet per year. 21:02.133 --> 21:04.666 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% - [David] A treaty between the United States 21:04.666 --> 21:09.066 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:70% and Mexico required that the United States deliver to Mexico 21:09.066 --> 21:11.100 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% from Colorado River water, 21:11.100 --> 21:15.200 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% water that did not have too much salt to harm crops. 21:15.200 --> 21:18.000 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% - Whatever water quality arrives at Imperial Dam, 21:18.000 --> 21:21.733 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% the water delivered here at Morales Dam downstream, 21:21.733 --> 21:26.333 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% cannot exceed more than 115 milligrams per liter, 21:26.333 --> 21:28.533 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% above that of Imperial Dam 21:28.533 --> 21:31.300 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% with a little bit of variation per month. 21:31.300 --> 21:34.333 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% We have hundreds of these observation wells 21:34.333 --> 21:36.566 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% throughout the Yuma basin. 21:36.566 --> 21:38.466 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% Is look for seasonal trends 21:38.466 --> 21:40.166 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% especially in the agricultural areas 21:40.166 --> 21:42.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% they don't have too much shallow ground water 21:42.233 --> 21:44.933 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% because that interferes with the crop production. 21:44.933 --> 21:47.433 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% And then we also look at changes in water level 21:47.433 --> 21:48.833 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% over the long-term as well 21:48.833 --> 21:50.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% because of groundwater withdrawal. 21:50.966 --> 21:54.133 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% And I just put it down into the pipe, 21:54.133 --> 21:55.600 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:37.5% and we're gonna measure from the top 21:55.600 --> 21:58.266 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:45% of this protective casing right up here. 21:58.266 --> 21:59.566 align:start position:30% line:84.67% size:30% There it is. 21:59.566 --> 22:00.933 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:45% - [David] (laughs) Is that right? 22:00.933 --> 22:03.566 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% - Yes, so that tells me we hit the water. 22:03.566 --> 22:05.800 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:17.5% (beeps) 22:05.800 --> 22:08.566 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% And we're reading right now from the top of this pipe, 22:08.566 --> 22:11.100 align:start position:30% line:84.67% size:27.5% 18.93 feet. 22:11.100 --> 22:12.566 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% - [David] And you have how many of these? 22:12.566 --> 22:15.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% - [Technician] In the greater area maybe about 550. 22:16.433 --> 22:20.500 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% - If you're depending on very sensitive, 22:20.500 --> 22:23.733 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% gravity fed water systems, 22:23.733 --> 22:26.566 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% and a few inches makes a difference 22:26.566 --> 22:30.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:72.5% in how much you will pump and how much the soil will hold, 22:30.100 --> 22:32.133 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:30% these become extremely important. 22:32.133 --> 22:33.866 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:42.5% - The farmers are very interested 22:33.866 --> 22:36.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:25% in shallow groundwater conditions 22:36.233 --> 22:39.533 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:65% because that can interfere with their crop production. 22:39.533 --> 22:41.433 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:42.5% - [David] So that might get more salts up 22:41.433 --> 22:42.733 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% into their root zone? 22:42.733 --> 22:44.166 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% - [Technician] That's correct. 22:45.600 --> 22:49.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% - [David] Mexico diverted share of Colorado River 22:49.233 --> 22:51.333 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:37.5% at Morales Dam. 22:51.333 --> 22:53.900 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% The All-American Canal feeds the vast 22:53.900 --> 22:57.966 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% and distant fields of California's Imperial Valley. 22:57.966 --> 23:00.166 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% After those extractions, 23:00.166 --> 23:03.066 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% even with increased efficiency of use, 23:03.066 --> 23:06.066 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% hardly a drop is left in the river. 23:07.066 --> 23:09.266 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:40% Where steamboats once chugged away 23:09.266 --> 23:11.966 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:75% and wetlands teamed with life, 23:11.966 --> 23:15.500 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% a wasteland stretches for a hundred miles. 23:15.500 --> 23:19.066 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% (soft dramatic music) 23:19.066 --> 23:22.166 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% - What we're looking at is the mighty Colorado River, 23:22.166 --> 23:26.200 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:70% that flows through the Grand Canyon in these huge Rapids. 23:26.200 --> 23:30.766 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:77.5% This is the river that provides water for 40 million people. 23:30.766 --> 23:35.666 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% This is the river, that 90% of life in the desert 23:36.300 --> 23:38.100 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:60% ecosystems depends upon. 23:38.100 --> 23:42.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% And this is what's we've created a little trickle 23:42.233 --> 23:45.866 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:67.5% that I can step across that doesn't even reach the ocean. 23:45.866 --> 23:48.833 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% And so this just goes to show that we need a mechanism 23:48.833 --> 23:51.533 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:77.5% and there is a growing movement an international movement 23:51.533 --> 23:53.366 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:55% to give rivers rights. 23:53.366 --> 23:56.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% And that would create the right to have water 23:56.200 --> 23:57.633 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% in the river channel. 23:57.633 --> 23:59.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:40% Which just river clearly doesn't have. 23:59.800 --> 24:02.700 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:50% It's the right to be free from contamination. 24:02.700 --> 24:04.500 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:62.5% The right to restoration. 24:04.500 --> 24:06.833 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:35% I think we all intrinsically understand 24:06.833 --> 24:08.400 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:45% that water is life 24:08.400 --> 24:10.866 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% and so we're all trying to do the same thing. 24:10.866 --> 24:13.866 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:47.5% We're all trying to get to the same place. 24:13.866 --> 24:17.033 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% If ever there is a river that needed a voice, 24:17.033 --> 24:19.033 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:65% it is the mighty Colorado. 24:19.866 --> 24:22.833 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% (suspenseful music) 24:26.200 --> 24:31.066 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% - Upon a time steamboats past here, but no longer. 24:31.066 --> 24:33.700 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% And the questions we have to ask is how valuable 24:33.700 --> 24:37.100 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:57.5% is a running river, and the water that it produces 24:37.100 --> 24:42.000 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:70% for things apart from farms, municipalities, and industries. 24:42.933 --> 24:45.666 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:40% (dramatic music) 24:49.033 --> 24:54.200 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:60% Join us next time In The Americas with me David Yetman. 24:55.233 --> 24:58.066 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:50% Our largest national park offers glaciers 24:58.066 --> 25:00.533 align:start position:15% line:10% size:55% on a stupendous scale. 25:00.533 --> 25:02.766 align:start position:22.5% line:10% size:37.5% Though glaciers there are receding 25:02.766 --> 25:04.866 align:start position:10% line:10% size:77.5% as they are all over the world, 25:04.866 --> 25:08.700 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% you can still watch salmon rungs in glacier rivers, 25:08.700 --> 25:11.966 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:60% and hike to your heart's content in Northern forests 25:11.966 --> 25:14.333 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% and on glacial ice. 25:14.333 --> 25:18.700 align:start position:15% line:74% size:40% This and more in Alaska's Wrangell St. Elias National Park. 25:19.933 --> 25:22.733 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% - [Tillie] This is almost like a graphic representation 25:22.733 --> 25:24.266 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:52.5% of your bank account. 25:24.266 --> 25:27.800 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:62.5% Like if your bank account was full of money at the top, 25:27.800 --> 25:30.033 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:70% and then in just two decades 25:30.033 --> 25:32.766 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:67.5% this is how much we drained our bank account of water. 25:32.766 --> 25:34.400 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:47.5% - [David] Now we're spending way more, 25:34.400 --> 25:36.200 align:start position:12.5% line:84.67% size:67.5% than we really should have. 25:38.300 --> 25:41.033 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:40% (dramatic music) 25:53.566 --> 25:55.400 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:52.5% - [Announcer] Funding for In the Americas 25:55.400 --> 25:58.666 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:55% with David Yetman, was provided by Agnese Haury. 25:58.666 --> 26:01.500 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% (suspenseful music) 26:05.000 --> 26:07.866 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:45% Funding for in the Americas with David Yetman, 26:07.866 --> 26:10.100 align:start position:22.5% line:79.33% size:50% was also provided by the Guilford Fund. 26:10.866 --> 26:13.833 align:start position:22.5% line:84.67% size:47.5% (suspenseful music) 26:21.266 --> 26:24.666 align:start position:12.5% line:79.33% size:60% Copies of this and other episodes of In the Americas 26:24.666 --> 26:28.133 align:start position:10% line:79.33% size:80% with David Yetman, are available from the Southwest Center. 26:28.133 --> 26:32.666 align:start position:15% line:84.67% size:72.5% To order call 1-800-937-8632. 26:32.666 --> 26:35.233 align:start position:15% line:79.33% size:65% Please mention the episode number and program title. 26:36.133 --> 26:37.466 align:start position:15% line:10% size:65% Please be sure to visit us 26:37.466 --> 26:39.500 align:start position:15% line:10% size:55% at intheamericans.com, 26:39.500 --> 26:41.200 align:start position:15% line:10% size:52.5% or intheamericas.org.