US EditionGroundwater Supplies Are Plunging Across the Colorado River Basin: Study
- Scientists at Arizona State University published a May 2025 study showing groundwater supplies in the Colorado River Basin are rapidly declining, especially in Arizona.
- This depletion results from heavy pumping for agriculture amid prolonged drought and rising temperatures that reduce river flows and groundwater recharge.
- The study used over two decades of NASA satellite data to reveal groundwater loss outpaces surface water declines, with losses since 2003 totaling about 34 cubic kilometers.
- Lead author Abdelmohsen called the loss "alarming," noting depletion rates tripled from 2015-2024 and accounting for two-thirds of the basin's total water loss.
- If unaddressed, this trend could cause severe water shortages affecting farmland, municipal supplies, and food production, prompting calls for expanded groundwater regulation and agricultural reductions.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Groundwater is rapidly declining in the Colorado River Basin, satellite data show
As the Colorado River's giant reservoirs have declined during the last two decades, even larger amounts of water have been pumped and drained from underground, according to new research based on data from NASA satellites.
Colorado River State Historic Park to unveil new exhibit
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Colorado River State Historic Park is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new exhibit this week. Taking place this Thursday, May 29, at 10:00 a.m., the exhibit is called "The Colorado River: Lifeblood of the Yuma Community," which is installed in the Corral House building, "the original home of the Bureau of Reclamation in Yuma." According to the park, "The exhibit will delve into a variety of themes, including…
Groundwater supplies are plunging across the Colorado River Basin: Study
The Colorado River Basin’s groundwater supplies are dwindling, thanks to a combination of both natural events and human pumping activities, a new study has found. The critical Western system has lost about 42 million acre-feet of water storage since 2003 — with 65 percent of those declines, or 28 million acre-feet, attributable to groundwater depletion,…
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