The Colorado River Basin lost nearly 53 million acre feet of freshwater over the past nine years, according to a new study based on data from NASA’s GRACE mission. The new study by NASA and University of California, Irvine, scientists finds more than 75 percent of the water loss in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin since late 2004 came from underground resources. The extent of groundwater loss may pose a greater threat to the water supply of the western United States than previously thought.
View reports:
- 7.24.14 – NASA Press Release: Satellite Study Reveals Parched U.S. West Using Up Underground Water
- 7.31.14 – NPR: Groundwater is Drying Up Fast Under Western States, Study Finds