The Colorado River Compact

The podcast examines the Colorado River Compact, a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states to share the river's water. It highlights the increasing contentions between the states due to booming populations and the overallocation of water rights. The agreement initially divided the Colorado River Basin into upper and lower halves, but the doctrine of prior appropriation, favoring earlier water users like California and Arizona, caused tension with upstream states. The podcast notes that the original water flow estimates were overestimated, leading to chronic overuse, and that agriculture, particularly cattle farming, consumes a disproportionate amount of the river's water. With climate change reducing snowmelt and the 2026 renegotiation deadline looming, the states face a crisis, struggling to agree on conservation measures and future water allocations.