Colorado

Colorado River basin has lost nearly the equivalent of an underground Lake Mead

Published

10 months ago

May 27, 2025

Colorado River basin has lost nearly the equivalent of an underground Lake Mead

The Colorado River basin has lost 27.8m acre-feet of groundwater in the past 20 years, an amount of water nearly equivalent to the full capacity of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, a new study has found.

The research findings, based on Nasa satellite imagery from across the south-west, highlight the scale of the ongoing water crisis in the region, as both groundwater and surface water are being severely depleted.

“Groundwater is disappearing 2.4 times faster than the surface water,” said Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at Arizona State University and the study’s senior author.

“Everyone in the US should be worried about it, because we grow a lot of food in the Colorado River basin, and that’s food that’s used all over the entire country,” he added. “These days, we’re also supporting a number of data centers and computer chip manufacturers, and these are essential to our economy.”

The Colorado River basin provides water to approximately 40 million people across seven US states, as well as to millions of acres of farmland. Most of the groundwater losses since 2003 occurred in the Lower Colorado River basin, including Arizona, Nevada and California, the study found.

The decreasing availability of surface water is easy to visualize across the west. There are the stark photographs of the dropping levels of water in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and images of the Colorado River, whose flow has decreased approximately 20% in the past century.

But groundwater is different, Famiglietti said: “It’s invisible. It’s mysterious. The average citizen doesn’t really understand it.”

‘Bath tub rings’ indicate how far the water level has dropped over Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam, in July 2022. Photograph: Caroline Brehman/EPA

With less visibility has come less regulation: California only instituted statewide management of its groundwater in 2014, and before that, groundwater use was largely unregulated. Arizona, which has seen big groundwater decreases, still does not regulate groundwater usage in the majority of the state, Famiglietti said, which means that most property-owners can simply pump out as much groundwater as they want.

“Overpumping” is the main cause of groundwater losses over the past 20 years, he said. “There’s nothing illegal about it, it’s just unprotected.”

Most water across the west is used for agriculture, and as “large-scale industrial farming” has expanded in the south-west, and particularly in Arizona, so have the resources for farmers to dig deeper and bigger wells to extract groundwater, Famiglietti said. In Arizona, many of the new farms grow alfalfa, which is used as hay to feed cows. Data centers, though a much smaller overall factor than agriculture, also are a growing business that require water.

The new study found that the depletion of water storage in the Colorado River basin has sped up in the past decade. Since 2015, the basin has been losing freshwater at a rate three times faster than in the decade before, driven mostly by groundwater depletion in Arizona.

While the researchers are advocating for better management of groundwater supplies in the future, Famiglietti also said that the efficacy of groundwater regulations so far was still unclear.

The effects of the climate crisis, including rising average temperatures and more frequent and severe droughts, are expected to make the region’s water shortages worse in the future.

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Colorado

Colorado teen who survived shark attack walks runway at Avalanche charity event

Published

3 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Colorado teen who survived shark attack walks runway at Avalanche charity event

DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado teenager who lost her leg in a shark attack isn’t just walking again; she’s sharing the spotlight with one of her favorite hockey players.

Seventeen-year-old Annabelle Carlson took the runway Sunday at the Colorado Avalanche’s annual charity brunch, an event that raises money for community programs supported by Kroenke Sports Charities. The fundraiser, now in its third decade, is considered one of the team’s most impactful events of the year.

Carlson walked arm-in-arm with Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, drawing applause from a crowd of more than 450 attendees.

Standing tall again has been a long journey for the Colorado high school student. Carlson lost her leg after surviving a shark attack during a family trip to Belize in 2024. Since then, she has undergone multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.

“I think being negative about things like this — it takes such a toll on how you view yourself and how you get through things,” Carlson said. “But I’d rather see everything like, not everything you lose is a loss.”

Carlson has now returned to skiing and hopes to pick back up with playing her favorite sport, lacrosse. But it took a lot of guts and resilience to get to where she is now.

“In my eyes, she’s extraordinary,” Landeskog said. “What she’s gone through at that age, it’s not easy to do.”

The charity event highlights children who have overcome serious medical challenges, pairing them with Avalanche players for a runway walk to spotlight their strength. Players also served brunch and helped auction off team gear and game tickets.

“It was really cool to meet him,” Carlson said of Landeskog. “It’s definitely a flex. Not everyone gets to meet the Avalanche. I’m super lucky and super excited to be here.”

Having gone through some injuries of his own, including damage to his knee, which took him out of play for several seasons, Landeskog said Carlson’s attitude is remarkable.

“She’s young, she’s brave,” he said. “I feel like she’s got a better head on her shoulders than I do, so I feel like I can learn a lot from her as well.”

The team said many players stay in touch with the children and their families long after the event ends, adding that the annual brunch is a day the whole team looks forward to each year.

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Colorado

++[LIVESTREAMS]TV!! New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Live 𝖲𝗍𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆

Published

15 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC live: New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC look to seize control of thrilling New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC . Every team in the New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC will host New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Park Stadium with the New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC a single point ahead of New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the standings and just one behind leaders New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC .

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Colorado

+)WAY TO WATCH Ｆｒｅｅ New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC LIVE

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC LIVE GAME: New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC look to seize control of thrilling New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Every team in the New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC will host New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Park Stadium with the New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC a single point ahead of New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the standings and just one behind leaders New Mexico United vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

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