General Idea:

Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Southern California, and the Native Americans all depend on the Colorado River for water to some degree. In 1922, an agreement was made called the Colorado River Compact among seven U.S. states on rights to the Colorado River. Unfortunately, the assignment in 1922 was based on the highest flow rates of the Colorado River. With climate change and all, the Colorado River doesn't even reach its Delta anymore. New research shows the river is so sensitive to warming that it could lose about one-fourth of its flow by 2050 as temperatures continue to climb. If the states and people listed above took the amount of water they are allocated in the Colorado River Compact, the river would be dry now.

This is a water crisis that Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Southern California, and the Native Americans all have to face. We are running dry. There is only one solution to this problem: rethink the Colorado River Compact. Our elected officials need to reallocate the amount of water each state is allowed. 

So why do we care? Well, we are 7th graders who've been working on reworking the Colorado River Compact in our Earth Science Class. The more we worked on the project, the more we realized that this is going to be a problem that we will face in the future as grown adults. We won't have enough water. By signing this petition, it will show our elected officials that we have to take action. It's now or never.

MORE IN-DEPTH:

Another source of the problem, when it comes to wasting Colorado River's water, is  Lake Powell.

Low and behold the mighty Lake Powell! Over 3,000,000 people visit this "beautiful" reservoir every year, but what those 3,000,000 and counting people don't know is how bad this problem is. Lake Powell seems impossibly large, mythical almost, with its rich red rock canyon walls standing in dramatic contrast to the glimmering water below that seems to stretch on forever. We can't blame them, of course. After all, Lake Powell is the second-largest man-made reservoir in all of America, covering over 254 miles. 

When Lake Powell was formed, it was designed to hold an enormous amount of water- over 26 million acre-feet- for the population of Arizona and Utah. To give context, one acre-foot is enough water to fend for a family of four for an entire year! And this is 26 million of those acre-feet. 

Glenn Canyon Dam was created to hold water within Lake Powell, but what people don't know is how hasty of a project that was. When created, government officials were in desperate need of water and decided that they would quickly build a reservoir to supply the states. 

Lake Powell was built on sandstone which is slowly spreading apart over time. People can't see it, but Lake Powell is decreasing dramatically in levels (it is currently almost at only 35% of its capacity) because the sandbed is spreading. If we don't do anything, over time, it will end up going dry and creating massive amounts of unwanted sandstone deposits. 

Between the drought years of 2000-2005, Lake Powell lost 13 million acre-feet of water and dropped almost 100 feet, about one-fifth of its maximum depth. A repeat dry spell could decimate what remains.

As if this isn't bad enough, the Glenn Canyon dam also changed ecosystems because it trapped sediment, leading to the erosion of beaches in the lake. While the river was formerly warm and shallow, it became as deep and cool as Lake Powell, threatening the native fish species that thrived in the river, and around the former beaches.

An estimated 26,000 tons of radioactive waste are covered by the silt of Lake Powell, which is part of a system that provides drinking water for 40 million people in the Southwest. Huge piles of mining tailings rose along the banks of the Colorado River during the West's uranium boom of the 1940s and 1950s.

The point? Lake Powell is extremely dangerous. It is becoming very unsafe for people to drink (its main goal), is ruining ecosystems and animal habitats, creating tons of unwanted, unremovable waste, and over time, the beautiful tourist attraction that it is will be too dangerous. 

So, what can we do? 

Despite several high-profile dam removals along America's rivers recently, allowing Glen Canyon Dam to cease operations is no small decision. It would likely take a major rework of the laws that govern the Colorado River. That's a political minefield. The proposal to "fill Mead first" divides water experts and managers, with each side wielding dueling analyses. Despite the consternation, the Colorado River Basin is already feeling the impacts of a changing climate, and many states are preparing for a future with less water.

In the future, we need to find sustainable forms of water. We can't always rely on other reservoirs, however. We can't just put the entire burden on Lake Mead. That too is decreasing in water levels. 

Our team, named Simul Ut Unum is on a mission to put this to an end once and for all. 

We need your help! We need your ideas, we need your signatures, and we need your support. 

Please sign our petition today, and share it with everyone you can. 

Make a change before it is too late!