The Mississippi River was running so low in October, you could walk to an island that should only be accessible by boat.
This summer, the Danube River that runs through much of central Europe became so shallow, you could see sunken warships from World War II at its bottom.
The water level in Lake Mead has dropped so much that human remains of victims lost decades ago have been found. The Colorado River historically fills Lake Mead, but the nonprofit group American Rivers now ranks this declining tributary as “America’s most endangered river.”
American Rivers’ Sinjin Eberle says there are reports that the Colorado is “19% smaller than it was in 2000.”
From the Colorado River to the Yangtze River in China, the world has seen a dramatic drought this year due to water diversion and extreme weather caused by climate change.
“Severe drought and lack of rain in many parts of the world and heat waves have exacerbated this issue,” says Josh Klemm of International Rivers. “But a hidden issue is that most (long) rivers around the world are choked by large dams.”
These are some of the factors leading to dried-up riverbeds and fears that a struggle for access to water could come to some communities sooner rather than later. So what can be done and what can you do about it?
Organizations like American Rivers and International Rivers protect rivers, improve access to water, and empower others to help keep waterways flowing.
But to get results, everyone has to do their part.
Saving and protecting our water is a popular issue, but getting people to actually use less water is difficult. For most people, seeing is believing, which is why one of the world’s top tourist destinations has become the focus of this theme – the Grand Canyon.
“It’s one of the seven wonders of the world,” Eberle says. “One of the most iconic landscapes on the planet and to wrestle with the idea that the river that helped create this place is a trickle would hopefully be a wake-up call.”
Eberle doesn’t think the Colorado River will dry up completely, but if changes aren’t made, it could one day be Colorado Creek instead of River.
Currently, many people rely on water from this river. According to American Rivers, it provides drinking water to one in ten Americans. Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver are just a few of the cities that dry up the Colorado River before it reaches the Gulf of California.
Simply put, water restrictions must be tightened.
“Each state (must) agree to some significant cuts in water use. Everyone should feel some pain. Everyone, every state, every sector needs to figure out how to do more with less water,” says Amy Souers Kober of American Rivers. “We continue to work together. Keep talking. Keep trying to find solutions.”
These organizations also ensure that all voices are heard, ensuring that indigenous and small communities are not left clutching at straws. One way they try to improve access to water for all is through dam removal and opposition to dam building around the world.
Along the Kunene River on the Namibia/Angola border in Africa, local groups are contesting the construction of a dam that could cut them off from food and water.
“There are many actors: (from) the indigenous community level to large organizations,” International Rivers’s Africa Program Director Siziwe Mota tells CNN. “And all these efforts are really critical to successfully building resilience to climate change – and to guaranteeing food security for the millions of people around the world whose livelihoods and food sources are sustained by rivers.”
In the US, dams on the Klamath River, which flows through Oregon and California, will begin to be removed in 2023.
“The Klamath River was once one of the largest salmon producing rivers on the West Coast. It has been blocked by four dams for about 100 years. The salmon have been devastated, but even more devastating has been the impact on the indigenous people of the river,” says Kober. “It will revitalize and reconnect these people.”
Removing the dams will give more access to water to more people and allow the river to return to its natural state.
A growing trend internationally is the fight for the legal rights of rivers as living beings. In New Zealand, rights were granted to the Whanganui River as a legal entity, and other countries such as Bangladesh and India have made similar moves.
There is even a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Rivers that you can sign to help rivers around the world.
The biggest impacts, however, come from local action.
According to Eberle, the most important way to help our waters is something that can be done every day.
“The best thing (people) can do to help the river(s), that they can do every day, is to eat more local food and keep their food choices more locally oriented.”
Looking for more local food can help create better relationships between farmers, consumers and their communities.
“We’re helping farmers and cities be more efficient with the water they use,” says Kober. “There’s a lot we can do to strengthen the system so there’s no water wasted at all.”
Getting politically involved and asking leaders to make smart water management decisions is an important step. Eberle notes that city councils and local leaders are good places to start.
But when you vote at any level, look for candidates who want to take action on water sustainability and infrastructure, too.
Kober says American Rivers’ work nationally emphasizes funding infrastructure to ensure clean drinking water for all communities, citing two American cities where residents have faced unsafe supplies.
“So we never have another Flint, Michigan or Jackson, Mississippi.”
In addition to donating money, volunteering with local chapters of organizations and regional waterguards is not only a good way to get involved, but as Josh Klemm of International Rivers says, “a great way to see the bigger picture.” Having first-hand knowledge of the regional issues around you and knowing that they are also taking place on a larger scale can help you when it comes time to choose which candidate to vote for – even over dinner.
Overall, understanding that the issue is bigger than a river and bigger than the Grand Canyon is key to making sure everyone has access to clean water.
“Reading a lot it seems that the climate, the warming is accelerating. it could get worse,” Eberle says, “Yet the population is still growing, and those two things combined, we’re going to have to find ways to somehow keep all these systems working together.”
Klemm agrees that it’s “hard to be overoptimistic,” but adds “we’ve seen nature recover in really amazing ways that can ultimately help communities adapt to climate change. Unfortunately, you often need that impact calculation first before you get to that point of actually restoring rivers to their natural state. ”
Seeing the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon slowly evaporate along with images of rivers drying up around the world certainly causes a stir. Time will tell if it sparks action.
