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Who's Really Using Up the Water in the American West?

Provided by: Vox|Published on: November 1, 2022

Videos

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Synopsis

This video explores water consumption in the Western United States, focusing on the enormous amount of water used for agriculture and the solutions to water scarcity.
Students will learn about depletion in the Colorado River system, irrigation agreements between LA, San Diego, and the Palo Verde Irrigation District, and the benefits and drawbacks of fallowing.

Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences

Authors: Vox

Region: North America, USA - West, United States, California

Languages: English

Positives

This video visually compares the water used for irrigated farming, industrial use, and residential use.
It is easy to understand and provides more than one perspective on the solutions.

Additional Prerequisites

Differentiation

Connect this video to lessons about the effects of agriculture on the climate.
Teachers could use this as a hook to evaluate the pros and cons of raising cows as livestock.
It could lead to a discussion of different alternatives to beef that are more sustainable.
It could be used in an economics class to evaluate the costs and benefits of rotational fallowing on farmers.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.