Sometimes referred to as the “American Nile”, the Colorado River is the lifeblood of the western United States, supplying drinking water to tens of millions of people across the region and in Mexico.
But the 2,330km (1,450-mile) waterway, which stretches from its Colorado headwaters to the Gulf of California, is in crisis. Years of intense drought worsened by climate change, coupled with growing populations and intensive water use for agriculture, have led to historically low river levels.
