Back in August 2026, I wrote an article entitled, “The Next War will be Over Water”. This explained that we were taking too much groundwater out of the ground, which would, if nothing was done, lead to a world shortage of water and with it, a reduction in growing food production. This is a follow-up article relating a real-life example, which, even as I write, is reaching its tipping point, from which it will not be able to reverse. And it involves a huge area of the United States.
The area in question is the Colorado River Basin. It serves water to around 40 million people and includes the cities of Las Vegas and Phoenix. It flows through seven US states and two Mexican regions. Over the past 20 or so years, so much groundwater has been taken that it will soon be too expensive to reach any more. And the tipping point for this is rapidly approaching. To give you an idea of the amount of water removed from the underground aquifers, it is estimated that over the previous 20 years, over 34 cubic kilometres of water have been lost. Much of the region is rural and farmland. Mains water often does not run to such places, and so wells are drilled on private land.
All of these actions have brought the groundwater to dangerously low levels. Another problem is that as the water levels fall, the quality of the water decreases. As you try to take water from lower and lower levels, the water may have been in contact with the solid bottom of the basin. The water in that region is likely to be affected by chemicals and toxic substances including arsenic. So, the outlook is not good either way. So, what is the solution, if any? Certain water-needy crops could be changed to less needy crops. Water could be pumped in from other regions, but this is expensive and other regions are not exempt from water shortages as well. There is no doubt that climate change is adding to the problem as it means less rainfall in these areas. But, as we know, curing the problem of climate change is probably our biggest challenge. This is not a good news story.
