Historic drought impacting Colorado River basin

Climate change is taking a dramatic toll on the Colorado River system that provides water to nearly 40 million people across seven states. Dr. Becky Bolinger, an assistant state climatologist for Colorado, joins CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss.

[caseysatkowski]

We have GIANT CITIES in the middle of deserts!! Pheonix and Las Vegas were never good ideas!

[michaelhusar]

Bunch of people 100 years ago decided to build a bunch of dams, and irrigate the desert to grow almonds. Then build massive cities in the desert and use sprinkler systems to make lawns grow. What could possibly go wrong.

[ciaojeffitalia]

Let in more immigrants and build more houses. What could go wrong ?

[quantumchem]

Lol. When you ship half your water to another basin in CA you get problems.

[journeymansmitty]

If they don't find something how to deal with it it's going to eventually dry up🤔

[flextimegaming]

Imagine if the west coast got the amount of rain that the East Coast does. In a perfect world they would have water and we wouldn't have flooding

[Doug]

Beyond the scope of water districts and surface water management, there should be policies and financial assistance for farmers to improve their land for better water retention, or funding for programs to plant native perennials in selective public land to refill the aquifers.

[evelynlyons]

JESUS IS COMING BE READY EVERYONE!🕓REPENT AND BELIEVE🕓IF U CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH JESUS IS LORD AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD U WILL BE SAVED🆓🆓🆓🆓

[vgslife]

we have been saying this over and over stop building and get rid of all the golf course during this drought, why is it so hard for these officials to do? and if not vote these people out and find someone who will.

[ЖИВИВКАЙФ]

It's high time for all people to help one another, open their hearts and become one family, one Humanity. We all have only one enemy - consumerism with its money at the top. We can unite and start building new world for each of us - the Creative Society, where the life of a human being is at the top. And we will be able to survive as a civilization at this hard period of increasing global cataclysms.

[hellfish]

I still can't believe the Seahawks lost the superbowl

[phil]

They should restrict motorized boat travel along the entire river

[ricecakeboii]

I’ve been saying this for years, lowering our water usage won’t fix our issues just prolong the inevitable. Focus on new aqueducts, expand the reservoirs so when wet years do happen they don’t all become runoff, & finally it’s getting hotter let’s do what LA does & prevent evaporative loss during our consistently 100F temperature inland in our summers.

[stormygirl]

Oh my. Prayers for more rain to replenish the Colorado river and lakes!!

[justinwilliams]

Why don’t they do this: build pipes that run from the Great Lakes is one source. If we can pump oil from 1 country to another…surely we can pump water across the country to help this issue or…build pipes coming in from Baja California and California coast. Yes the water is salt water but we can filter the water first then send it to my city (Phoenix). It sounds far fetch but I think this could help us. We thought our recent monsoon weather was helping but not even close. God give us snow for winter.

[dayleedwards]

Personally, I blame the leaking fire hydrant on Kensington avenue for this catastrophe. The homeless chick turned it on weeks ago to have a wash, and never turned it off.

[jbar_]

What’s up with these CBS anchors. Always seem to serious and stoic with every story. Like, please, show a little personality…

[kevingarver]

If the experts knew it was coming why didn't they plan ahead ?

[stevenikitas]

The climate has been changing naturally for thousands of years.

[benderisgreatable]

Beef takes 2, 500 gallons of water per pound to produce, or 10x more than a pound of poultry; after factoring in drinking water, feed, topsoil and energy requirements... Beef is 15% of our diet but 80% of our farming resource requirement as a nation. I don't blame the long showers or the green lawns, just swap to chicken and fish unless you have a day off or something nicer to celebrate. Nature mathematically can't keep it up. Stop sugarcoating the truth and do what has to be done to leave a planet for our children and grandchildren... Can't believe nobody's talking about it at large scale yet, Americans are selfish and obsessed enough to eat it three times per day and then whine about their desert rivers.