The Colorado River is running so low that at certain points people can walk across its bed. A new report highlights water levels that have dropped enough to expose large stretches of the riverbottom. In a video shared with Fox 5, Ryan Deters used a drone to film himself stepping from one bank to the other, describing how he could touch the river’s floor along its entire width. He wore a wetsuit top and noted the water only rose to about chest level, with the deepest point measured at roughly four and a half to five feet.
Deters, who completed the walk earlier this month, told Fox 5 he has spent a lot of time on the river and knows its depths at various points. He observed a modest current, but his familiarity with the river and its eddies gave him confidence he could swim back if needed.
Typically, the river in summer runs significantly deeper—six to ten feet more—depending on how much water the Davis Dam in Arizona releases downstream.
Officials are increasingly alarmed by persistently low water levels in the Colorado River, a concern tied to one of the driest years in decades. The river’s major reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are of particular concern due to reduced storage.
Benjamin Bass, a climate scientist with UCLA’s Center for Climate Science, told CalMatters there is a real risk that these reservoirs could reach levels too low to operate effectively.
This week, a collection of essays from Colorado River researchers argues that climate change is already driving lower rainfall, which in turn depletes the river. The Colorado Sun reports that several scientists warn the river’s future may be at stake. Doug Kenney, chair of the Colorado River Research Group, told The Colorado Sun that the basin is “out of time” and that the crisis has moved beyond theory.
