Colorado River drought 1st climate disaster U.S. legally has to deal with: Grid

NEW YORK, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Colorado River, the water source for 40 million people across seven U.S. states and part of Mexico, is rapidly drying out, offering up what may be the first climate change impact that the country literally cannot ignore, reported Grid News on Monday.

"We really don't have a choice to fail on this," said Christopher Kuzdas, a senior water program manager with the Environmental Defense Fund. "We've got to come together and find a way to manage and govern the system differently under climate change or there's going to be catastrophic consequences for the Southwest, and I'm not overstating that."