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Colorado River Basin Groundwater Depletion Crisis
Groundwater has become the leading source of water loss in the Colorado River Basin as surface water supplies dwindle, according to the FT, raising long-term concerns about water security across the American West.
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A hidden water crisis is unfolding beneath the American West as cities and farmers increasingly draw on groundwater, now the leading source of water loss across the Colorado River Basin (FT, October 20). As surface water from the Colorado River dries up, reliance on aquifers — which recharge far more slowly and are harder to monitor — has accelerated, raising long-term sustainability concerns for the region's agriculture and growing urban populations.
### Why it matters
The Colorado River Basin supplies water to roughly 40 million people across seven states and supports a multi-billion dollar agricultural sector; accelerating groundwater depletion has major implications for water rights litigation, real estate development, agricultural investment, and interstate water compacts.