The Colorado River resides in North America for 1,450 miles in length and extends from the Colorado Rockies flowing southwest through six other states to Mexico. During the 19th century, settlement within this region was limited to simple access to the Colorado River. Back then the adjacent water was used exclusively to support life. Today, with our advanced methods of water treatment and transportation, water is known for its broader sense of sustaining “life” and this has economic significance. We now use water for more than just drinking. We use water to stimulate industry, mass produce agriculture, generate energy and even for recreation. With our new thirst we encounter dizzying demands for water. As we use this water for economic gain, we take increasing amounts of it from the river. The returned water is therefore of significantly lower quality and causes harmful effects on biological life. Compounding the problem at hand, the Colorado River has been affected by drought since 1999. Currently, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, most areas of the river are experiencing extreme drought conditions. The Colorado River is not only degrading, but also drying up due to climate change and mismanagement of water resources, as a result modern human development is hindered and the environment is permanently disfigured, so to prevent further damage the authorities Local and state governments should plan to change wasteful methods of water management. Poor water management is a key problem causing the sewerage of the Colorado River. Our current water management methods lead to wasted water through evaporation, leaks, overpumping, and unnecessary use. Furthermore, any use we make of the water degrades it and in most cases the water is sent back into the river at this level... middle of paper... Faludi, Jeremy. "Saving the world, drop by drop." The world changes: change your way of thinking. World Change, August 6, 2006. Web. November 10, 2014.Kelly, Shannon. "CP-LUHNA." Water development, extraction and diversion. Luhna, 8 December 2002. Web. 11 November 2014. Reeve, Ross. United States. Bureau of Reclamation. Drought in the upper Colorado River basin. 2014. Web. November 14, 2014.Salazar, Ken. "Colorado River Problems." Remarks prepared for the annual meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association. United States Department of the Interior. Las Vegas. Dec 12, 2010. Speech.Swan, Bill. "The Colorado River." Moving waters: the Colorado River. Moving Waters, March 5, 2006. Web. November 7, 2014. United States. Bureau of Reclamation. Consumption uses and losses. 2004. Print.United States. Environmental Protection Agency. How to conserve water and use it effectively. 2014. Web. 8 November 2014.