Colorado River groundwater vanishing faster than expected
Groundwater in the upper Colorado River Basin fell 4.6 trillion gallons between 2020 and 2022, nearly double the lower basin's decline.
The Colorado River Basin is losing water in two ways. First, surface-water drought has shrunk Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
Second, hidden groundwater below ground is declining. A new study from Virginia Tech found groundwater declined rapidly over the past two decades.
Losses have accelerated after 2019. Historically, the lower basin (California, Arizona, Nevada) lost more groundwater than the upper basin (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming).
But the upper basin lost about 4.6 trillion gallons between 2020 and 2022. That was nearly twice the 2.5 trillion gallons lost in the lower basin.
The researchers compared satellite data and water measurements from 2004 to 2023. Prolonged drought, higher temperatures and reduced snowmelt are creating extra strain on the upper basin region.
These aquifers take thousands of years to refill, yet humans have been draining them steadily for a century.
- 4.6 trillion gallons
- Upper basin loss 2020-2022
- 2.5 trillion gallons
- Lower basin loss 2020-2022
- Nearly 40 million
- People dependent on river
- 2004 to 2023
- Study period
Why it mattersGroundwater is the backup water source when rivers and reservoirs run dry. Rapid loss threatens nearly 40 million people who depend on the Colorado River.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, though the Colorado River crisis is a cautionary example of how groundwater depletion can accelerate during drought, relevant to Australia's own depleted aquifers in the Murray-Darling Basin.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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