The Colorado River Delta once provided nearly 2 million acres of wetlands and freshwater supporting thousands of fish and wildlife species. The vibrant ecosystem sustained indigenous populations for thousands of years.
But a population boom, coupled with an economy built on agriculture in the western United States and northern Mexico, put such an enormous strain on the water supply that it could no longer sustain the delta’s ecosystem. Exacerbating the problem was the construction of major dams, including the Hoover Dam, along with dozens of irrigation canals in the 1930s—nearly all on the U.S. side of the border. This left the river’s last drops to evaporate in the Sonoran Desert before reaching the Sea of Cortez, devastating the delta’s ecosystem. The once extensive wetlands now only cover 5 percent of their historic high.
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