Skip to main content
Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.

Up Next

Back to Show
In the America's with David Yetman

The Lower Colorado River: Dwindling Lifeblood of the Southwest

Season 9 Episode 903

Forty million people rely on water released from Lake Mead, on the Colorado River not far from booming Las Vegas, a world leader in water conservation. Far downstream huge canals de-water the river, as farmers look to technology to maintain their productivity; Californians deliver water to their vast population and land; and Mexico receives its entitlement.

Support Provided By
Season
The road from Oaxaca to Chiapas
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Explore the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico.
Baracoa: Cuba's outpost on the Atlantic
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Explore the old town of Baracoa and Cuba's vast sugar cane fields.
Pororoca: Brazil’s Famous Wave
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Discover why surfers now flock from around the world to ride the Pororoca.
Brazil’s Pantanal: Wetlands and Wildlife
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Explore the world's largest freshwater swamp, the Pantanal.
Father Kino and the Southwest
26:46
Learn everything about Francisco Eusebio Kino and the Mission San Xavier del Bac.
Chiapas Highlands: Mexico's Indian Empire
26:46
In Mexico's southernmost state, David finds nations apart from mainstream Mexico.
Cuba's Far East
26:46
With distinct Afro-Cuban roots, Santiago de Cuba was once Cuba's most important city.
Oregon: Violent Past and Verdant Present
26:46
More than any other of the contiguous United States, Oregon has been shaped by volcanoes.
Dominican Republic: Of Baseball, Whales, and Limping Devils
26:46
A hotbed of baseball, whalewatching, and a lively carnival, after years of turmoil.
Costa Rica: Laboratory of the Biosphere
26:46
From a biosphere to a Costa Rican rainforest reserve, scientists observe climate change.
Mexico’s Sierra Pinacate
26:46
The Pinacate Volcanic Range on the U.S.-Mexico border has a history of fire and brimstone.
Our Warming Oceans: Biosphere to Bahamas
26:46
Join researchers in Arizona and the Bahamas making startling climate change findings.
Active loading indicator