Today we are bringing you an episode from a new podcast from our friends at Colorado Public Radio. The podcast is called Parched, and it’s about how the multi-decade drought in the West is impacting the Colorado River. It’s about people who rely on the river that shaped the West—and have ideas to save it.
For those of us living here in the Mississippi River basin, climate change is leading to extreme rainfall and historic floods. But out West, they are dealing with the opposite problem—far too little water.
The episode you are about to hear is entitled “The Boldest Idea of All,” and it explores a big idea that's come up again and again: what if we pumped and piped floodwater from the Mississippi River across the country to replenish the Colorado River? Is it possible? Is it a good idea? Stay tuned…this episode of Parched dives in.
Host: Michael Elizabeth Sakas
Written by Rachel Estabrook and Joe Wertz
Editor: Erin Jones
Production and Mixing: Emily Williams
Theme song by Kibwe Cooper. Additional music via Universal Production Music.
Artwork: Maria Juliana Pinzón
Executive Producers: Kevin Dale, Brad Turner
Additional Editorial Support: Alison Borden, Kibwe Cooper, Jo Erickson, Luis Antonio Perez, Rebekah Romberg, Taylar Dawn Stagner, Andrew Villegas
Thanks also to Sarah Bures, Hart Van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson.
For more CPR News coverage of the Colorado River, visit cpr.org/parched.
Sea Change is a production of WWNO and WRKF. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX.