Major US river that supplies water to 40million people is drying up - 7 states affected

Major US river that supplies water to 40million people is drying up - 7 states affected.

TENS of millions of people living in seven US states could soon see their water access reduced as farmers, scientists and officials warn a crisis is unfolding in the southwest.
US environmental officials have noticed a concerning trend, as data shows a critical reservoir in the southwest is rapidly drying up. The Colorado River, which supplies a vast web of tributaries that snake across seven western states and Mexico, has shrunk exponentially in recent years. The river allows farmers to irrigate otherwise untenable land, and further shrinkage could deprive them and millions of residents of a vital lifeline.
Residents of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming - 40 million people in all - wouldn't exist without it.

Arizona's second-largest city, Tucson, pulls 82 percent of its supply from the river, and San Diego takes 66 percent.

American dreamers in the Nevada desert could never have built Las Vegas without channelling 90 percent of the city's supply from the reservoir.

According to scientists, however, the river has started to buckle under the demand, having shrunk 20 percent since 2000.
The result is a trend of emptying amongst reservoirs vital for sustaining water networks during drought.

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