The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food?
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0:00 - 0:03Water is a crucial
building block for life, -
0:03 - 0:05for farming, for food, and for showers.
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0:06 - 0:08Often water comes from far away.
-
0:08 - 0:10For example,
over half of Southern California's water -
0:10 - 0:12is pumped out of the Colorado River.
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0:12 - 0:15It is then transported up
and over a mountain range -
0:15 - 0:17to be used in cities and farms.
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0:18 - 0:20But as rainfall
and temperatures change, -
0:20 - 0:22scientists are seeing
a megadrought -
0:22 - 0:23emerging in the American West.
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0:23 - 0:25And much of that long-term drought
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0:25 - 0:27is centered right over the Colorado River.
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0:27 - 0:30Which means giant cities like L.A.
and rural farms alike -
0:30 - 0:32could see a strain on their water supply.
-
0:32 - 0:35In this episode, we'll learn
why this drought is so bad -
0:35 - 0:36and find out what lessons
we can learn -
0:36 - 0:38from people who have
lived in the Southwest -
0:38 - 0:40for thousands of years.
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0:45 - 0:47A drainage basin is an area
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0:47 - 0:50where precipitation collects
and runs into a particular body of water. -
0:50 - 0:52The basin in the Colorado River
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0:52 - 0:54spans seven States and two countries.
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0:55 - 0:5740 million people count on it's water.
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0:57 - 0:59But what happens when rivers dry up
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0:59 - 1:01and the water you're counting on
doesn't come? -
1:02 - 1:03To understand, I first asked
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1:03 - 1:06water and drought scientist,
Brad Udall, what's going on. -
1:06 - 1:10In 2000, a drought began
that now 20 years later -
1:10 - 1:12is the most severe drought
-
1:12 - 1:17since gauges were installed on the river
in 1906 in some places. -
1:18 - 1:20The flow is down about 20%.
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1:21 - 1:22Drought is usually defined
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1:22 - 1:24as a period of abnormally low rainfall
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1:24 - 1:26leading to a shortage of water.
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1:26 - 1:28But Brad told me
that this drought is a bit different. -
1:28 - 1:30That's because while rain is down,
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1:30 - 1:33that doesn't fully account
for the low water levels. -
1:33 - 1:35We now actually have a new term for this:
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1:35 - 1:36It's a hot drought.
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1:36 - 1:39So higher temperatures dry out the earth.
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1:40 - 1:42And what we're finding is
that higher temperatures -
1:42 - 1:45lead to greater evaporation
in all its forms. -
1:46 - 1:49And that evaporation
is the cause of this decline in flow. -
1:49 - 1:52In other words, as temperatures
increase over time, -
1:52 - 1:54the process of evaporation
takes more water away -
1:54 - 1:56from rivers, lakes,
and snow-capped mountains. -
1:57 - 2:01This helps explain why river flow
in the Colorado basin is down 20% -
2:01 - 2:03despite precipitation
only being down by 5%. -
2:04 - 2:05And droughts do end,
-
2:05 - 2:07but according to many scientists
-
2:07 - 2:10waiting for rain in this case
is probably not a good idea. -
2:11 - 2:12The term "drought" implies
-
2:12 - 2:15some kind of return
to normal at some point. -
2:15 - 2:17Drought implies temporary,
-
2:17 - 2:20and most scientists nowadays
have started talking -
2:20 - 2:23about the aridification of the West,
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2:23 - 2:27meaning a more permanent move
to a dry state. -
2:28 - 2:34(car engine roaring)
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2:35 - 2:37Few people understand
the threat of drought -
2:37 - 2:38better than Nancy Caywood.
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2:38 - 2:40She's a fifth generation
farmer in Pinal County -
2:40 - 2:43where water either comes
from the Colorado River -
2:43 - 2:45through the Central Arizona Project canals
-
2:45 - 2:47or from other rivers and canals
in the Colorado basin. -
2:47 - 2:49This represents liquid gold.
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2:49 - 2:51This is our water supply right here.
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2:51 - 2:53We take it out,
there's a gate right there, -
2:53 - 2:55and it goes down a little lateral canal
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2:55 - 2:56that takes it right to our farm.
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2:56 - 2:57I'm gonna open up this gate,
-
2:57 - 2:59we have the gate open,
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2:59 - 3:02we'll open four of them,
allow the water to flow in. -
3:04 - 3:07We have about 135 acres of alfalfa.
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3:07 - 3:10This is an example of flood irrigation,
-
3:10 - 3:12one of the oldest and most
common irrigation methods -
3:12 - 3:14which distributes water over the soil
-
3:14 - 3:17by allowing it to flow
downhill with gravity. -
3:17 - 3:19There's a beautiful simplicity to it,
-
3:19 - 3:22but it's actually the least
efficient way to irrigate -
3:22 - 3:24as much of the water
either evaporates away -
3:24 - 3:27or seeps into the soil
out of reach of the plants' roots. -
3:27 - 3:30And on top of that,
alfalfa is a very thirsty crop, -
3:30 - 3:33which means the beef
that comes from the cattle it feeds -
3:33 - 3:36is the highest water use food
commonly available. -
3:36 - 3:38Drip and sprinkler irrigation
can be much more efficient, -
3:38 - 3:40but Nancy told us she's not been able
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3:40 - 3:42to get the permits needed
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3:42 - 3:44to change the irrigation style
on the farm. -
3:44 - 3:46And the Caywood alfalfa
fields are in good company. -
3:46 - 3:4960% of farmland in the Colorado basin
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3:49 - 3:50is used to grow feed crops.
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3:50 - 3:53Combine all that demand,
and here in Pinal County -
3:53 - 3:55is where the drought hits home.
-
3:55 - 3:59The last time the reservoir
was full was in 1992. -
3:59 - 4:02One year, we had nothing
planted on this farm at all. -
4:02 - 4:04In 2019 water in Lake Mead,
-
4:04 - 4:07the nation's largest
reservoir, dropped so low -
4:07 - 4:08it triggered the first cutbacks
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4:08 - 4:10in water allocations ever in the basin.
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4:11 - 4:12Pinal County farmers were the first
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4:12 - 4:14to have their water reduced.
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4:14 - 4:17Fields lay fallow, prepped
and ready, but unplanted. -
4:18 - 4:20This is a fallow field,
-
4:20 - 4:22and we just didn't have
enough water to plant it. -
4:22 - 4:25We have 120 acres of fallow land.
-
4:29 - 4:31Good news here is, since about 1980
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4:31 - 4:34American water use has actually gone down.
-
4:34 - 4:38Even in growing American
cities in the South West, -
4:38 - 4:41total consumption has gone down
-
4:41 - 4:44despite pretty big increases
in population. -
4:44 - 4:46But worldwide irrigated agriculture
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4:46 - 4:51uses upwards of 70% of water in rivers
-
4:51 - 4:56and municipalities use
much, much less, 20% or less. -
4:56 - 4:58That's partially due
-
4:58 - 5:00to household water conservation efforts,
-
5:00 - 5:02but it's mainly due to the way
cities and homes use water. -
5:03 - 5:06When you shower, wash dishes
or even flush the toilet, -
5:06 - 5:09that water is treated and returned
to surface or groundwater -
5:09 - 5:10rather than evaporating.
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5:10 - 5:13The same goes for some industrial uses.
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5:13 - 5:15But the largest opportunity and challenge
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5:15 - 5:17to reduce water use
is in the agricultural sector. -
5:17 - 5:19That's because water used for farming
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5:19 - 5:21either becomes part of the growing plants
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5:21 - 5:23or it's lost to evaporation,
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5:23 - 5:25meaning it doesn't return
to the hydrologic cycle -
5:25 - 5:27for a very long time.
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5:28 - 5:31Scientists say this is
the worst drought in 1200 years, -
5:31 - 5:33but the Hopi you have lived in this area
-
5:33 - 5:36for over 2000 years
and have grown food through it all. -
5:36 - 5:39We met up with Max Taylor,
a Hopi Water Resources technician -
5:39 - 5:42to find out if lessons
from one of the oldest communities -
5:42 - 5:44in the United States
can be applied to modern life -
5:44 - 5:46in the drying Colorado basin.
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5:46 - 5:50The Hopi's been known
to use the least amount of water -
5:51 - 5:53than people throughout
the whole United States. -
5:53 - 5:56It's just because we live in the desert,
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5:56 - 5:58here we are more aware
of how much you use. -
5:58 - 6:00And so the use is very little.
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6:01 - 6:02So we're down at my field.
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6:02 - 6:06This is my blue corn,
they're planted here. -
6:06 - 6:07All of these are dry farmed.
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6:07 - 6:09I don't do any irrigation.
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6:09 - 6:13And the technique we use is
you clear off an area. -
6:17 - 6:20You'll dig a hole down
about maybe eight to 10 inches deep, -
6:20 - 6:22get maybe eight or ten kernels of corn
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6:23 - 6:24and toss in there.
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6:24 - 6:26The wet moisture that you've taken up,
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6:26 - 6:28you push them back in,
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6:28 - 6:30then you cover it with the dry soil.
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6:30 - 6:32And that's dry farming.
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6:32 - 6:34His garden is planted in a low lying area
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6:34 - 6:36to collect the little moisture
that falls each year. -
6:36 - 6:39And his crops are
extremely adapted to the region. -
6:39 - 6:41They're planted far apart
to avoid competition for water, -
6:41 - 6:44and they grow very deep roots
that tap into groundwater. -
6:44 - 6:47Right now we're in September.
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6:47 - 6:50You can still feel a little bit
of moisture in the ground, -
6:50 - 6:51see that?
-
6:52 - 6:56Not much, but just enough
that it's still keeping them going. -
6:56 - 6:59Amazingly Max uses seeds
for his own farming consumption -
6:59 - 7:01that produces crops
in what seems like dust -
7:01 - 7:03with no irrigation.
-
7:03 - 7:05He's never watered this field.
-
7:07 - 7:10We have seeds that are being passed on
from generation to generation. -
7:10 - 7:13So they're adapted to this dry climate.
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7:13 - 7:16The corn's been with the Hopi
at least several thousand years. -
7:17 - 7:18I think the lesson to learn
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7:18 - 7:21is that you have to live
within your environment. -
7:21 - 7:24And I think that's how the natives
have survived in these areas -
7:24 - 7:25because they were sustainable.
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7:25 - 7:27And we know this country.
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7:31 - 7:33Shifting towards crops appropriate for
-
7:33 - 7:34and adapted to their environment
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7:34 - 7:37provides a vast opportunity
for water conservation. -
7:37 - 7:39That shift can happen
on farms or in cities -
7:39 - 7:42when we choose to eat foods
that need less water to grow. -
7:42 - 7:45On paper, a shift from feed
crops and cattle makes sense. -
7:45 - 7:46But if we want to adapt
-
7:46 - 7:48to our warming climate
in an equitable way, -
7:48 - 7:51we can't write off farmers
like Nancy and the families -
7:51 - 7:53that have fed us for generations.
-
7:53 - 7:54We would like to continue farming.
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7:55 - 7:56We don't plan on giving up this farm.
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7:56 - 7:59We are looking into alternatives,
-
7:59 - 8:00we're looking into alternative crops,
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8:00 - 8:04we're looking at water conservation
irrigation techniques. -
8:04 - 8:07Alfalfa takes seven to nine acre feet
of water a year to grow it. -
8:07 - 8:11Olives would take about
one and a half acre feet of water. -
8:11 - 8:13But if we were to get into, say, olives,
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8:13 - 8:14there'd be a lot of soil preparation.
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8:14 - 8:16So it costs us a lot money to get started.
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8:16 - 8:19But the question is,
can we come together as a country -
8:19 - 8:21and implement techniques
to reduce the strain -
8:21 - 8:24on our water supply
before there are even more shortages? -
8:24 - 8:26We need to be ready
-
8:26 - 8:28for some really big changes coming at us
-
8:28 - 8:31that are frankly
outside of our comprehension. -
8:31 - 8:35This is how we make the best
out of a bad situation -
8:35 - 8:37and stand by those
-
8:37 - 8:42who end up facing
the biggest changes and challenges. -
8:42 - 8:43And while we focus
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8:43 - 8:45on the American Southwest in this episode,
-
8:45 - 8:47drought does affect
almost every part of the country. -
8:47 - 8:49So practicing water conservation
-
8:49 - 8:52as a part of your daily life
can help you prepare -
8:52 - 8:54for when water supplies
run low in your region. -
8:54 - 8:56Some of the most effective
things you can do today -
8:56 - 8:57are not that hard.
-
8:57 - 9:00For example, never leave a faucet running
when it's not being used, -
9:00 - 9:03like when brushing your teeth
or washing dishes. -
9:03 - 9:04Make sure to fix leaky faucets
-
9:04 - 9:07and choose energy-
and water-efficient appliances. -
9:07 - 9:08If you want to get more involved,
-
9:08 - 9:10you can place a brick
in the tank of your toilet -
9:10 - 9:12so it uses less water for each flush,
-
9:12 - 9:14or convert your lawn
to a beautiful landscape -
9:14 - 9:16that doesn't need irrigation.
-
9:16 - 9:18Or even install
a rainwater catchment system. -
9:19 - 9:21Of course, there's another
thing we can all do, -
9:21 - 9:25and that's to fight the underlying cause
of this drought, climate change. -
9:25 - 9:27The future of this drought is unwritten,
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9:27 - 9:29and the less warming we create,
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9:29 - 9:31the brighter our water future will be.
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9:31 - 9:33So check out the excellent show, Hot Mess,
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9:33 - 9:35for more ideas about what can be done.
-
9:35 - 9:36And of course, subscribe
-
9:36 - 9:38to keep up with all of our
episodes of Weathered. -
9:38 - 9:45(soft music)
- Title:
- The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food?
- Description:
-
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
↓ More info below ↓
The Colorado Basin provides water to over 40 million people in 7 US states and it is currently experiencing its worst drought in 1200 years! But unlike other droughts, our actions may have real impacts on the outcome and it’s very likely that we can make things better.Based on current projections scientists are using terms like “aridification” to describe it, meaning that, if we don’t change course things may not go back to normal for a very long time. How is this “hot drought” different from those that have visited the region before? How are climate change and warming temperatures driving these changes? And what can we do to adapt? Watch this episode of Weathered to find out.
Weathered is a show hosted by meteorologist Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.
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- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- Amplifying Voices
- Project:
- Environment and Climate Change
- Duration:
- 10:04
Natalia Savvidi edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? | ||
kostas74 edited English subtitles for The Worst Drought in 1200 Years: What Does it Mean for Your Food? |