{"id":126134,"date":"2026-04-22T12:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alj.com\/?post_type=perspective&p=126134"},"modified":"2026-04-22T12:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:15:29","slug":"is-north-americas-water-security-draining-away","status":"publish","type":"perspective","link":"https:\/\/alj.com\/en\/perspective\/is-north-americas-water-security-draining-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Is North America\u2019s water security draining away?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A hike along the Colorado river, stretching some 2,000 km from the Rocky Mountains in the United States to the Gulf of California in Mexico, offers numerous rewards for those whose spirits are stirred by wilderness. \u00a0It is a journey through almost two billion years of the Earth\u2019s history, boasting crystalline metamorphic rocks, volcanic basalt flows, precipitous canyons and patterned layers of sedimentary deposits \u2013 all visual reminders of our planet\u2019s evolution.<\/p>\n

Yet here, amid the scenic splendor, visitors can also observe something far less invigorating for the soul: the ominous hallmarks of climate change.<\/p>\n

With the western states of the US experiencing more than two decades of continuous megadrought, the Colorado river is experiencing its driest phase in the last 1,200 years, covering 20% less land than in the 1900s.[1]<\/a> \u00a0Ancient settlements, sunken vessels and long-submerged cars are peeking through the water surface as river levels steadily decline \u2013 eerie ghosts of the past with their own tales to tell. \u00a0A \u2018bathtub ring\u2019, visible along the riverbank, is a stark reminder that waters once flowed tens of feet higher. \u00a0Riverbeds in areas like Nevada, once impassable due to water flow, are now navigable on foot.<\/p>\n

All this is bad news for the 40 million people across seven US states for whom the river is a literal lifeline, including inhabitants of major cities such as Los Angeles and Denver. \u00a0It threatens bleak harvests for the millions of acres of farmland traditionally irrigated by the river along one of America\u2019s major breadbaskets. \u00a0The river basin, it is feared, could face a deficit equivalent to 1.8 million Olympic swimming pools next year unless the decline is halted.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

The emergency affecting the Colorado basin is not an isolated incident.\u00a0 It is emblematic of the wider water crisis affecting the entire North American continent, one which could endanger jobs, living standards and even lives in the decades to come.<\/p>\n

In Mexico, 43% of the 22 million inhabitants of Mexico City lack access to clean water, according to research from the Autonomous University of Mexico[3]<\/a>, while data from the World Bank shows that Mexico\u2019s per capita water availability plummeted from 10,000 cubic meters per year in 1960 to just 4,000 in 2012. \u00a0Projections indicate this figure could drop below 3,000 cubic meters by 2030, a startling decline that could have far-reaching consequences[4]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even in Canada, with its vast natural resources, water security is a growing concern. \u00a0Around 85% of the country\u2019s population live close to the Canada-United States border, yet 60% of all available freshwater is in the far northern regions[5]<\/a>. \u00a0Taking this disparity into account, along with the rising frequency and severity of climate-related events, Canada is increasingly viewing water resilience and security as an urgent policy matter.<\/p>\n

Without remedy or mitigation, water challenges across North America could manifest as more than visual scars in a hikers\u2019 paradise.\u00a0 Instead, they could come to define one of the most urgent sustainability stories of the 21st<\/sup> Century.<\/p>\n

How big is the water crisis facing North America?<\/h2>\n

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) warns that public faith in the resilience of local aquifers is \u201cna\u00efve\u201d.[6]<\/a> \u00a0Reservoirs are more strained than ever before, with traditional quick-fixes (like diverting supplies from neighboring areas) becoming unfeasible due to the extent of the shortages. \u00a0The specter of communities literally running out of potable water is, they caution, a \u201creality\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Low water levels and the \u2018bathtub ring\u2019 effect at Lake Mead Colorado (view from the Hoover Dam).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ASCE\u2019s fears are justifiable, with evidence from Lake Mead and Lake Powell \u2013 America\u2019s two largest reservoirs, both located on the Colorado river \u2013 raising multiple red flags. \u00a0As of February 2026, Lake Mead was at just 34% capacity and set to fall further.[7]<\/a> \u00a0Reduced run-off feeding Lake Powell could see levels dropping too low to activate hydroelectric turbines at Glen Canyon Dam, curtailing a source of affordable clean power for families and business throughout the region. \u00a0Troublingly, more than two-thirds of losses in these key water repositories comprise depletion of groundwater <\/em>\u2013 those subterranean reserves of rainfall which replenish far less rapidly than transient surface supplies.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

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The most recent data indicates that the United States is a thirsty society indeed, currently consuming some 322 billion gallons of water daily split between hydration, sanitation, agriculture and industry.[9]<\/a> \u00a0This growing demand is only likely to increase in the coming years because of several factors.<\/p>\n